Warning Issued Over Arrests of Afghan Students in Pakistan Amid Visa Issues
The Taliban’s consulate in Karachi has announced that the visas of Afghan students in Pakistan’s Sindh province have expired, although they have not yet faced serious problems. However, the consulate warned that Afghan students in other Pakistani provinces are at risk of arrest and deportation due to invalid visas.
Abdul Jabar Takhari stated in a video message on Wednesday, July 15, that the Pakistani government has so far not renewed the visas of Afghan students in Sindh. Earlier, Pakistan’s Ministry of Interior had ordered the immediate arrest of any Afghan citizen without a valid visa starting July 9.
Sources in Pakistan report that in recent years, arrests and deportations of Afghan migrants, including journalists and students, have increased. According to one source, several Afghan journalists and students without residence documents are currently detained in Islamabad.
Additionally, on Tuesday, sources reported that Pakistani police arrested 13 Afghan doctors and one medical student in the Multan area of Punjab province and transferred them to a deportation center. According to available information, these individuals had applied for visa renewals about a year ago but have yet to receive any response from Pakistani authorities.
The Taliban’s Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation also stated last week that Pakistan has deported several Afghan doctors after they served prison terms.
Meanwhile, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has urged the Pakistani government to refrain from deporting at-risk Afghans following the recent directive by Pakistan’s Ministry of Interior. International organizations have repeatedly warned that returning journalists, former government employees, military personnel, and women activists to Taliban-controlled Afghanistan could expose them to serious security threats, raising concerns about the fate of returnees.
