Nobel Laureate
ISLAMABAD: Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai has issued a plea to the government, urging them to reconsider their policy regarding the expulsion of illegal immigrants, which includes over 1.7 million Afghan refugees residing in Pakistan.
In a post shared on X, she echoed the call made by UN experts and implored the Pakistani government to reevaluate its hastily implemented mass deportation policy.
Afghan refugees — children, women, men, elderly — fleeing Taliban persecution deserve support, dignity, and safety, not further obstacles and harassment.
— Malala Yousafzai (@Malala) October 27, 2023
I echo UN experts’ call and urge the Pakistani government to reconsider its rushed policy of mass deportation.…
The government has set a deadline of November 1 for illegal immigrants to leave the country, and they have established “holding centers” to manage any remaining illegal refugees after the cutoff date.
Numerous experts and individuals who rely on cross-border activities have strongly encouraged the government to review its decision. It’s worth noting that many individuals from the other side of the border come to Pakistan for medical treatment.
Malala emphasized that Afghan refugees, including children, women, men, and the elderly, who are fleeing persecution by the Taliban, deserve support, dignity, and safety, rather than encountering additional obstacles and harassment.
Protests erupted at the Chaman border in Balochistan on Thursday, with thousands of people expressing their discontent over the government’s decision to impose passport or visa requirements for crossing the Pakistan-Afghanistan border.
According to the caretaker Balochistan Information Minister, Jan Achakzai, as of Friday, at least 16,000 illegal immigrants have chosen to voluntarily return to their home countries.
I am an experienced writer, analyst, and author. My exposure in English journalism spans more than 28 years. In the past, I have been working with daily The Muslim (Lahore Bureau), daily Business Recorder (Lahore/Islamabad Bureaus), Daily Times, Islamabad, daily The Nation (Lahore and Karachi). With daily The Nation, I have served as Resident Editor, Karachi. Since 2009, I have been working as a Freelance Writer/Editor for American organizations.
