Latest news with #PhilippaCandler
Business Recorder
21 hours ago
- Politics
- Business Recorder
World Refugee Day: 123m people worldwide forcibly displaced
ISLAMABAD: As of the end of 2024, some 123 million people worldwide were forcibly displaced due to conflict, persecution, and violence. This includes 42.7 million refugees and others in need of international protection. This means one in every 67 people on the planet is displaced, said UN Refugee Agency-UNHCR on the occasion of World Refugee Day on Friday. UNHCR Pakistan stands in solidarity with millions of people around the world who have been forced to flee their homes due to conflict, persecution, and violence. This year's theme, 'Solidarity with Refugees,' is a call to action to ensure compassion, support, and inclusion for displaced populations, said the UNHCR Spokesperson Qaiser Khan Afridi in a statement. Pakistan continues to demonstrate remarkable generosity and hospitality, currently hosting over 2.35 million Afghan refugees including Proof of Registration (PoR) cardholders and others in need of protection, he added. While displacement globally continues to rise due to ongoing conflicts across the world, humanitarian funding is stagnating and, in some cases, declining. Philippa Candler, UNHCR Representative in Pakistan said, 'As we mark World Refugee Day, a moment to honour the courage and strength of refugees across the globe, we also reflect on their stories of loss and pain. Sadly, in many parts of the world, the right to asylum is under threat. Tougher and more restrictive policies are making it harder for people fleeing war, violence and persecution to find safety. In difficult moments like these, we need more than ever to stand in solidarity with refugees.' Candler appreciated and acknowledged the people of Pakistan and its government for generously hosting Afghan refugees for decades. She said that UNHCR remains committed to working with the Government of Pakistan to find long-term solutions - through return, resettlement, and alternative legal pathways, and to protect those who continue to need asylum. The UNHCR Representative said that Pakistan is contributing to the global refugee cause at a time when we are witnessing shrinking asylum space worldwide. 'We urge Pakistan to continue its support for displaced people, and call on the international community to match this commitment with solidarity and resources,' she said. Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
1703595591-0%2FPolice-Afghans-(2)1703595591-0.jpeg&w=3840&q=100)
Express Tribune
05-02-2025
- Politics
- Express Tribune
Pakistan starts deporting aliens
The Pakistani government has initiated the process of deporting all foreign nationals residing illegally in the country, including Afghans, sources said on Wednesday. However, Afghans sponsored by European or other foreign countries will not be deported for the time being. If their resettlement does not materialise soon, they too may face deportation, according to sources in the Ministry of Interior. Officials said that under the Illegal Foreigners Repatriation Plan (IFRP), all undocumented foreigners currently living in Pakistan will be sent back to their respective countries. As part of this plan, 781 Afghan nationals have already been repatriated from Islamabad via the Torkham border. However, sources clarified that Afghan refugees who have been sponsored by European or other foreign countries and are awaiting resettlement will not be deported for now. The foreign ministry has been directed to urge sponsoring countries to expedite the relocation process. UNHCR, IOM raise concerns Meanwhile, the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) have expressed concerns over the government's "devised plan" to relocate registered Afghan refugees from Islamabad and Rawalpindi, seeking clarification on the "modality and timeframe" of the move. The concerns came a day after reports suggested that Afghan refugees were being 'quietly' moved out of the federal capital and Rawalpindi to be eventually repatriated to their country. The measures were attributed to a plan devised in a series of meetings held last week under Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. In a joint statement issued in Islamabad on Wednesday, UNHCR and IOM acknowledged the state's authority to restrict the movement of foreigners, including refugees. However, they urged authorities to "implement any relocation measures with due consideration for human rights standards, including due process, and the legal status of Proof of Registration (POR) and Afghan Citizen Card (ACC) holders, who have resided in Pakistan for an extended period". UNHCR and IOM noted that the lack of a clear timeline for planning a dignified relocation was adding to an already stressful situation, with immediate consequences for livelihoods and children's education. "Pakistan has a long-standing tradition of hosting refugees and saving millions of lives. This generosity is deeply valued," the statement quoted UNHCR Representative Philippa Candler as saying. "Forced return to Afghanistan could place some people at increased risk. We urge Pakistan to continue to provide safety to Afghans at risk, irrespective of their documentation status." While acknowledging the security-related challenges faced by the government, the organisations emphasised that refugees, like all individuals, are expected to abide by the law. "The overwhelming majority of Afghan nationals in Pakistan are law-abiding individuals, whose situation needs to be seen through a humanitarian lens," the statement said. IOM Chief of Mission Mio Sato reaffirmed their commitment to collaborating with the government and UNHCR in establishing a mechanism to "register, manage and screen Afghan nationals". (With input from News Desk)
Voice of America
05-02-2025
- Politics
- Voice of America
UN sounds alarm over Pakistan's new Afghan deportation plans
The United Nations agencies focused on refugees and migration jointly voiced their concerns Wednesday over Pakistan's plans to begin a new round of mass deportations of Afghan refugees and asylum-seekers. The reaction came a week after Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif approved a multistage plan targeting nearly 3 million Afghan citizens residing in Pakistan. They include legally declared refugees, documented as well as undocumented migrants, and those who are awaiting promised relocation to the United States and other Western countries. The official plan seen by VOA mandates the immediate relocation of all Afghans from the national capital, Islamabad, and the adjacent city of Rawalpindi to designated camps before their repatriation to Afghanistan. The document emphasized without mentioning a timeline that no public announcement should be made regarding the deportations. In a joint statement Wednesday, the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, UNHCR, and the International Organization for Migration, IOM, said they 'are seeking clarity over the modality and timeframe of this relocation.' Both agencies urged Pakistan to consider human rights standards when implementing relocation measures. This includes ensuring due process for legal refugees and economic migrants who have been granted Afghan Citizen Cards or ACC, by Pakistan in collaboration with IOM, the statement explained. Official estimates put the ACC population at more than 800,000. "Forced return to Afghanistan could place some people at increased risk. We urge Pakistan to continue to provide safety to Afghans at risk, irrespective of their documentation status,' said Philippa Candler, the UNHCR country representative. Mio Sato, the IOM chief of mission in Islamabad, said her organization is committed to working with the Pakistani government and UNHCR to develop a mechanism to register, manage and screen Afghan nationals in Pakistan. 'This will open the door to tailored solutions, including international protection to those in need and pathways for Afghan nationals with long-standing socioeconomic and family ties in the country,' she said. In the first phase, the deportation plan requires authorities to relocate people possessing an ACC, along with undocumented Afghan migrants, from Islamabad and Rawalpindi and send them back to Afghanistan. Pakistan has allowed more than 1.4 million legal Afghan refugees to remain in the country until June 30, 2025. The new plan requires their relocation from the two cities in the second phase without stating whether they will also be deported to Afghanistan. Sharif has also ordered authorities to deport around 40,000 Afghans from Islamabad and Rawalpindi by March 31 in the third phase of the deportation plan and subsequently arrange for their repatriation if their relocation and resettlement cases to third countries are not processed expeditiously. These individuals fled Afghanistan after the Taliban regained control of the country in 2021, primarily seeking shelter from potential retribution due to their affiliations with the U.S. and NATO forces. Last month, President Donald Trump halted the U.S. Refugee Admission Program to assess whether reinstating it serves the interests of Washington, leaving at least 15,000 Afghan allies in Pakistan approved or being assessed for relocation to the U.S. in a state of uncertainty. Since 2023, Pakistani authorities have forcibly repatriated more than 800,000 undocumented Afghans from its territory. The deportations resulted from a government crackdown on foreigners living in the country without legal permission or whose visas had expired. Islamabad has attributed a recent rise in crimes and militancy in Pakistan to Afghan nationals. UNHCR and IOM said that they recognize the challenges Islamabad faces, especially in security, and that refugees, like all, must abide by Pakistan's laws. 'The overwhelming majority of Afghan nationals in Pakistan are law-abiding individuals whose situation needs to be seen through a humanitarian lens,' they said in their joint statement. The two U.N. agencies expressed their particular concern for Afghan nationals who may face harm upon their return, including ethnic and religious minorities, women and girls, journalists, human rights activists and members of artistic professions such as musicians. The Islamist Taliban leaders have placed sweeping restrictions on women's access to education, employment and public life and have banned music in Afghanistan.
