KABUL: The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has warned that the Pakistani government’s decision to expel over 1.4 million Afghan migrants could lead to an immediate humanitarian crisis. Philippa Candler, the UNHCR representative in Pakistan, stated on Friday, in a piece published in The News International and on the agency’s official Facebook page, that the forced return of Afghan migrants, especially under the current conditions in Afghanistan, poses serious humanitarian risks. She remarked, “Returning to a country that is unfamiliar to many of these migrants, while women and girls are deprived of their most basic rights, means stripping them of dignity, security, and future.” Candler urged the Pakistani government to establish a reasonable timeline for voluntary returns and to exempt vulnerable groups—including women, minorities, activists, and journalists—from forced deportation. She also called for the activation of a legal status regularization process and the issuance of visas for migrants. According to UNHCR statistics, from the beginning of this year until August 28, over 440,000 Afghans have returned to their country from Pakistan, with 69% of them holding Proof of Registration (PoR) cards.
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