Taliban Army Chief Calls On Iran, Pakistan To Stop Oppression Of Afghan Refugees

Fasihuddin Fitrat, the Taliban's army chief of staff, called on "countries that forcibly expel Afghan refugees" to stop "oppression”.

Recently, Iran and Pakistan, two of Afghanistan's neighbours, have intensified the arrest and deportation of Afghan refugees.

On Tuesday, January 7, the Taliban's Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation posted a statement on its account on social media platform X, saying that while distributing land to refugees in Daman district of Kandahar province, Fitrat asked countries to allow Afghan refugees to return to the country voluntarily.

"Qari Fasihuddin Fitrat, Chief of Staff of the Taliban Army, called on countries that forcibly deport Afghan refugees to stop oppressing them and allow Afghan refugees to return to their country voluntarily," the statement quoted Fitrat as saying.

Fitrat also asked the Taliban authorities to prepare the ground for the return of Afghan refugees to the country so that they can live peacefully in the country.

In recent days, Pakistani police have raided the homes of Afghan refugees in different parts of Islamabad and Rawalpindi, arresting migrants, including women and children, and transferring them to detention centres.

In some cases, Pakistani police have also arrested some Afghan citizens who had visas and legal residency documents in Pakistan. So far, a large number of Afghan refugees have been deported to Afghanistan after being arrested by Pakistani police.

The Taliban's embassy in Islamabad announced on Monday that Pakistani police have arrested about 800 Afghan citizens, including holders of visas, POR and immigration cards, in Islamabad.

Expressing concern over the issue, the Taliban embassy said, "The lack of clarity on the conditions for obtaining an NOC (residence permit) has caused worrying cases of arbitrary detention and deportation."