Royal Institute of Traditional Arts implements Saudi-Chinese cultural exchange program    Localization in Saudi military industries rises to 19.35%    Logistics park for vehicles worth SR300 million to be set up at Dammam port    Commerce Ministry recalls 6,500 Genesis cars due to risk of fire    HONOR KSA expands its presence with new flagship Experience Store in Riyadh HONOR's first flagship store in KSA provides visitors with a premium experience, exciting offers and free services    Saudi, Iranian foreign ministers discuss Oman-mediated talks with US    Prince Sultan University launches first bachelor's program in language and media    Al-Falih: Eastern Province hosts 700 investment opportunities worth SR330 billion    Putin announces three-day Russian ceasefire in Ukraine from 8 May    Crown Prince donates SR1 billion to support housing for eligible families    Pakistani military says it killed 54 militants attempting to cross border from Afghanistan    Suspect charged after Vancouver car ramming leaves 11 dead    Eight hundred Houthi targets hit after weeks of strikes, says US    Rock & Roll Hall of Fame picks Outkast but not Oasis    Duran leads Al Nassr past Yokohama Marinos into AFC Champions League Elite semi-finals    Al Ahli cruise past Buriram into AFC Champions League Elite semi-finals    Saudi orchestra to perform at Sydney Opera House in May    Al Hilal thrash Gwangju to reach AFC Champions League Elite semi-finals    Saudi Theater Commission launches its Work and Learn Project in UK    The season has begun — and one comment shook us all    Pakistani star's Bollywood return excites fans and riles far right    Veteran Bollywood actor Manoj Kumar dies at 87    Bollywood actress vindicated over boyfriend's death after media hounding    Grand Mufti rules against posting prayers and preaching in mosques on social media    Exotic Taif Roses Simulation Performed at Taif Rose Festival    Asian shares mixed Tuesday    Weather Forecast for Tuesday    Saudi Tourism Authority Participates in Arabian Travel Market Exhibition in Dubai    Minister of Industry Announces 50 Investment Opportunities Worth over SAR 96 Billion in Machinery, Equipment Sector    HRH Crown Prince Offers Condolences to Crown Prince of Kuwait on Death of Sheikh Fawaz Salman Abdullah Al-Ali Al-Malek Al-Sabah    HRH Crown Prince Congratulates Santiago Peña on Winning Presidential Election in Paraguay    SDAIA Launches 1st Phase of 'Elevate Program' to Train 1,000 Women on Data, AI    41 Saudi Citizens and 171 Others from Brotherly and Friendly Countries Arrive in Saudi Arabia from Sudan    Saudi Arabia Hosts 1st Meeting of Arab Authorities Controlling Medicines    General Directorate of Narcotics Control Foils Attempt to Smuggle over 5 Million Amphetamine Pills    NAVI Javelins Crowned as Champions of Women's Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) Competitions    Saudi Karate Team Wins Four Medals in World Youth League Championship    Third Edition of FIFA Forward Program Kicks off in Riyadh    Evacuated from Sudan, 187 Nationals from Several Countries Arrive in Jeddah    SPA Documents Thajjud Prayer at Prophet's Mosque in Madinah    SFDA Recommends to Test Blood Sugar at Home Two or Three Hours after Meals    SFDA Offers Various Recommendations for Safe Food Frying    SFDA Provides Five Tips for Using Home Blood Pressure Monitor    SFDA: Instant Soup Contains Large Amounts of Salt    Mawani: New shipping service to connect Jubail Commercial Port to 11 global ports    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Delivers Speech to Pilgrims, Citizens, Residents and Muslims around the World    Sheikh Al-Issa in Arafah's Sermon: Allaah Blessed You by Making It Easy for You to Carry out This Obligation. Thus, Ensure Following the Guidance of Your Prophet    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques addresses citizens and all Muslims on the occasion of the Holy month of Ramadan    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



Rights group slams Pakistan for ‘forced' Afghan refugee returns
Published in The Saudi Gazette on 14 - 02 - 2017

The number of Afghan refugees returning from Pakistan, already at the highest level in years, may increase this year if Pakistan maintains its forceful policies, Human Rights Watch said on Monday.
Last year, hundreds of thousands of Afghan refugees left Pakistan, a 12-year-high that the rights group called the "world's largest unlawful mass forced return of refugees in recent times."
Aid workers and Afghan officials worry that the returnees are coming back to a country in conflict and economic crisis, led by a government already struggling to maintain basic living standards.
Pakistan has provided millions of Afghans with refuge for decades, and police and officials deny reports that they are targeting Afghans, though officials have said they should go home.
Amid recent political tension between the uneasy neighbors, aid organizations have raised concerns over the treatment of Afghans in Pakistan.
HRW senior researcher Patricia Gossman said her group was highlighting the issue ahead of a meeting this week between Afghan, Pakistani, and UN officials, which is expected to set the stage for this year's refugee policies.
"We want to make sure that what happened last fall does not repeat," Gossman said, referring to what her group described as
"a toxic combination of deportation threats and police abuses" of Afghans in Pakistan last year.
In the second half of 2016, Pakistan "pushed out" nearly 365,000 of the country's 1.5 million registered Afghan refugees, as well as just over 200,000 of the estimated 1 million undocumented Afghans in Pakistan, the rights group said.
"These practices are tantamount to forcing people across the border ... and that's why we say it's unlawful," Gossman said.
Pakistani authorities have made clear in public statements they want to see similar numbers return to Afghanistan in 2017, the rights group said.
Pakistani foreign office spokesman Nafees Zakaria said he could not immediately comment on the HRW report until he had fully read it.
The group also criticized the United Nations for what its investigators saw as a failure to ensure that Afghan refugees are truly returning voluntarily, as called for under international law.
Ariane Rummery, a spokeswoman for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, said it had documented policies by governments on both sides of the border that helped contribute to the surge in returning refugees.
"UNHCR does not promote returns to Afghanistan given the enduring conflict in different parts of the country and its limited absorption capacity," she said in a statement.
"At the same time, the agency does help those who decide to return based on the options available to them."
Gossman also said the Afghan government needed to refrain from making "reckless" promises of things like land and money for returning refugees, that cannot be kept.


Clic here to read the story from its source.