United Nations experts have raised concern over the forced return of Afghans from Pakistan and urged authorities to assess individual circumstances before deportation, with particular attention to vulnerable people including women and unaccompanied children.
According to TOLOnews, the experts stressed compliance with the principle of non-refoulement, which bars returning people to places where they face a real risk of serious harm or persecution. Their statement was not limited to Pakistan and called on all states to meet their applicable international obligations.
The report cited Punjab authorities as saying 213 Afghan nationals were being held at 39 migrant detention centres and were expected to be returned through Torkham. Margalla News has not independently verified those official figures.
Separately, in a related issue affecting Afghans in Pakistan, the Lahore High Court has extended the suspension of a Pakistan Medical and Dental Council order concerning the return of Afghan medical students.