ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s government on Friday said “we decide who stays,” after the United Nations refugee chief urged the country to pause its mass expulsion of Afghans after a major earthquake.
Thousands of Afghans who were registered as refugees have surged over the border from Pakistan in recent days, with returns escalating despite a weekend earthquake that killed 2,200 people and flattened entire villages in Afghanistan.
It prompted a call by Filippo Grandi, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees: “Given the circumstances, I appeal to the (government of Pakistan) to pause the implementation of the Illegal Foreigners Repatriation Plan.”
Pakistan has hosted Afghans fleeing violence and humanitarian crises for more than four decades, from the Soviet invasion to the 2021 Taliban takeover.
“Any people with no documentation should leave. This is what Pakistan is doing and what any other country will be doing, including in Europe and other countries... it is our territory, we decide who stays in,” Shafqat Ali Khan, the foreign ministry spokesperson told a press briefing.
