ISLAMABAD: As a crackdown on illegal foreigners continues in Pakistan, "hate against Pakistan" has been stirring up in Afghanistan, Senator Shehzad Saleem said on Monday, while Islamabad carries out extensive deportation to drive out undocumented Afghans living in the country.
Nearly 300,000 Afghans have left Pakistan in recent weeks since the government ordered all the migrants without legal status including 1.7 million Afghans to go back before November 1 or face arrests.
However, the Upper House of the Parliament (Senate) demanded the repatriation of Afghans in a respectful manner during a Senate meeting today.
Saleem said there has been a history of misunderstanding and mistrust between Islamabad and Kabul. He said that the country witnessed a spike in terrorist activities and authorities decided to send the illegal migrants back to their country to deal with the situation.
"An autonomous state is responsible for ensuring the safety of life and property of its citizens," the senator said.
He, however, added that Pakistan has to play a role in regional affairs and promote political dialogue with Afghanistan as well.
Senator Ishaq Dar, while addressing the session, said the refugees and migrants leaving Pakistan have the right to take their properties with them.
"If the [authorities] expel the foreigners, they should do it in a respectful manner," Dar said, adding that the illegal migrants should be treated with dignity and respect.
He then referred to the government's action to tackle rising terrorism after the Peshawar's Army Public School attack in 2016.
"The aim was not to allow our soil for terrorism against anyone," Dar said while recalling Operation Zarb-e-Azb and Operation Radul Fasad.
Meanwhile, Senator Tahir Bizenjo said that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan are the most affected regions if any change whether positive or negative takes place in Afghanistan.
He then also called for ensuring respectful repatriation of the Afghans.
"Hundreds of thousands of people cannot be sent back on such short notice," Bizenjo said, adding that the deportation should be done in phases and with respect.
Moreover, Senator Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haideri and Senator Manzoor Kakar also called for Afghan repatriation in a respectful manner.
Meanwhile, Senator Dilawar Khan called for an in-camera meeting to be convened by the government on the matter of Afghan migrants' repatriation.
He also said that the government should devise a mechanism to identify the undocumented and unregistered Afghan citizens and show them the way back to their country in a civilised way.
Pakistan on Monday opened three new border crossings to expedite the deportation of Afghans living in the country illegally, officials said.
The government has said the deportations are to protect its "welfare and security" after a sharp rise in attacks, which the government blames on militants operating from Afghanistan, a claim Kabul rejects with criticism.
Millions of Afghans have poured into Pakistan in recent decades, fleeing a series of violent conflicts, including an estimated 600,000 since the Taliban government seized power in August 2021.
However, the sudden deportation at such an extensive level has strained relations between the two countries and also created a risk of a humanitarian crisis as Kabul grapples with hundreds of thousands of people arriving and staying in makeshift tent villages on its side of the border at the onset of winter.
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