Human rights commission flays Afghan deportation order

Chairman of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP), Afrasiyab Khattak on Friday condemned a recent government decision to deport thousands of "illegal" Afghan refugees living in Pakistan's North West Frontier Province (NWFP) without due legal process, calling it a violation of humanitarian principles. "This is a very dangerous practice," Khattak told IRIN. "It could happen to anyone - in court at least they have the opportunity to defend themselves and without that - it can endanger individuals whose forced deportation could result in serious harm to them." Khattak's comments follow a recent decision by the provincial government in the city of Peshawar to deport those persons lacking proper refugee status and identification. According to a HRCP press statement on Thursday, the decision to send back the so-called illegal Afghan refugees without first allowing them a court appearance "arouses deep concern in the minds of all those who care about the constitution and human rights". Although the Afghan refugee problem was a complex one and the difficulties facing the Pakistani authorities were well understood, they did not justify the "violation of constitutional provisions" with regard to fundamental rights and due process of law, the statement said. While Pakistan may not be a signatory to the international convention on refugees, as a responsible member of the international community, it should not flout international law with impunity, it added. . However, Pakistan's Interior Minister Moin Haider told IRIN in an interview on Tuesday that the people in question were not refugees at all and lacked any proof to the contrary. "They are people that have crossed the border from unfrequented routes and landed in Peshawar," he said. "They have no identity papers and they have no way to establish that they are refugees. That is why we are asking them to go back." According to Haider, there are some 2.1 million Afghan refugees living in Pakistan. He said the country could no longer shoulder the burden alone and called for other countries to share the responsibility.