Politics
UN urges Pakistan to halt refugee expulsions after deadly quake in Afghanistan
- Pakistan targets 1.3 million PoR holders for deportation crackdown.
- Thousands cross Chaman and Torkham daily, fearing arrest.
- Grandi stresses urgent aid for Afghanistan, calls donor support vital.
ISLAMABAD: The UN refugee chief has urged Pakistan to pause its mass expulsions of Afghan refugees after a devastating earthquake in eastern Afghanistan killed nearly 1,500 people.
“Given the circumstances, I appeal to the Government of Pakistan to pause the implementation of the Illegal Foreigners Repatriation Plan,” Filippo Grandi, UN High Commissioner for Refugees, said on X. He warned that those being forced out are “returning to a disaster zone”.
His appeal came as rescue teams continued struggling to reach survivors after the shallow, magnitude-6.0 quake struck the mountainous region bordering Pakistan late Sunday, collapsing mud-brick homes as families slept.
Taliban government authorities said 1,469 people were killed and more than 3,700 injured, with over 500,000 people affected — one of the country’s deadliest quakes in decades.
Pakistan has hosted Afghans fleeing violence for more than four decades, from the Soviet invasion to the 2021 Taliban takeover. Some refugees were born and raised there, while others have been awaiting relocation to third countries. Various cohorts of Afghans have found differing degrees of stability, including access to work and education.
However, Islamabad, citing a rise in militant attacks and insurgent campaigns, launched a crackdown in 2023 to evict Afghans, describing the population as “terrorists and criminals”. More than 1.2 million Afghans have since been forced to return, including over 443,000 this year alone, according to the United Nations.
The campaign has most recently targeted an estimated 1.3 million refugees holding UNHCR-issued Proof of Registration (PoR) cards, with a September 1 deadline set for them to leave or face arrest and deportation.
UNHCR spokesman Babar Baloch told reporters in Geneva on Tuesday the agency was “preparing for significantly more returns in the coming days” due to the deadline.
Border officials report a sharp rise in crossings since the deadline expired. At the Chaman crossing, more than 4,000 people have left, according to local administrator Habib Bangulzai. In Spin Boldak on the Afghan side, migrant registration official Abdul Latif Hakimi said 250 to 300 families are returning daily since August 31.
At the Torkham crossing further north, more than 6,300 PoR holders returned on Tuesday alone, with nearly 63,000 PoR cardholders recorded entering Afghanistan since April. UNHCR data shows a surge in crossings between 24 and 30 August, with 25,490 returnees, including 13,525 PoR holders.
Analysts say the evictions are designed to pressure Afghanistan’s Taliban administration, which Pakistan accuses of sheltering militants behind a rise in border attacks. The Taliban denies the allegations.
Grandi said aid from donors, including Pakistan, remains “vital and welcome” as Afghanistan grapples with the aftermath of the quake.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has issued a significant statement aimed at easing regional tensions, assuring that Iran will not launch missile strikes or take aggressive action against neighbouring countries.
The president said the decision was taken with the approval of the Interim Leadership Council, stressing that Iran’s policy of non-aggression will remain in place as long as no attacks are carried out on Iranian territory.
Commitment to Peace
In a message shared on social media, Pezeshkian said Iran harbours no hostility toward regional countries and expressed regret over the recent tensions affecting neighbouring states.
“We harbor no hostility toward regional countries and apologize for the recent situation with our neighbors,” the president said.
Sovereignty Will Be Protected
While calling for peace, Pezeshkian also emphasized that Iran’s sovereignty and national security would not be compromised.
He added that diplomatic efforts and mediation aimed at ending the ongoing conflict should be led by the countries that initiated the confrontation.
Regional De-escalation Efforts
The statement comes amid rising tensions in the Middle East following military exchanges involving Iran, Israel, and the United States, prompting calls from several countries for de-escalation and dialogue to restore regional stability.
DUBAI: Dubai has announced the implementation of a new public safety law introducing stricter regulations for public spaces and events, with fines ranging from AED500 ($136) to AED1 million ($272,000), authorities said.
Under the legislation, repeat violations within one year could result in fines of up to AED2 million, officials added.
The new law, which takes effect across the emirate on June 1, sets out enhanced safety requirements for public venues and gatherings.
The rules were issued by Dubai’s Ruler, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.
According to the regulations, public venues and events must ensure safe entry and exit routes, adequate lighting, and capacity limits to prevent overcrowding.
Event organisers will be required to provide firefighting equipment, emergency evacuation plans, first aid facilities, and trained security personnel.
Compliance with safety instructions at public venues has been made mandatory.
The law also requires adherence to designated swimming times at beaches and prohibits access to restricted areas.
Possession of explosives or fireworks without a permit is banned, as is the use and transport of hazardous or flammable materials.
India has allowed an Iranian warship to dock as a humanitarian gesture, Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said on Saturday, after the US sank another Iranian navy vessel off neighbouring Sri Lanka.
The Lavan docked at India’s southern port of Kochi on Wednesday, the same day the US submarine struck Iranian navy frigate Dena, after an urgent request from Tehran, an Indian government source told Reuters.
US President Donald Trump has said destroying the Iranian navy is one aim of the war he and Israel launched against the Islamic Republic a week ago.
The Lavan – an amphibious landing vessel, according to the US Naval Institute’s online news site – and two other ships “were coming in for a fleet review and then they got, in a way, caught on the wrong side of the events,” Jaishankar told the annual Raisina Dialogue event.
“I think we really approached it from the point of view of humanity, of other than whatever the legal issues were,” he said. “I think we did the right thing.”
At least 87 people were killed in the US attack on the Dena in Sri Lanka’s exclusive economic zone, 19 nautical miles off the coast, outside its maritime boundaries.
India received the docking request for the Lavan on February 28, the day the Iran war started, the source said late on Friday, adding that the request “was urgent as the vessel had developed technical issues”.
Its 183 crew members have been accommodated at naval facilities in Kochi, said the source, who asked not to be identified citing confidentiality.
The Dena was on its way back from a naval exercise organised by India, according to the drill’s website and Sri Lankan officials.
Sri Lankan authorities said on Friday that they were escorting the Iranian naval ship Booshehr to a harbour on the eastern coast and moving most of its crew to a navy camp near Colombo.
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