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The Afghan community in Austria staged a protest in front of the Pakistan Embassy in Vienna against the continued inhuman treatment of Afghan refugees by the Pakistan government, according to the Afghan Diaspora Network.
After Pakistan announced a deadline for undocumented Afghans to leave the country, around 2,00,000 Afghans have returned home via the Torkham border, The News International reported. The rise in repatriations comes after the Pakistan government ordered 1.7 million Afghans, "living illegally" in the country, to leave or face deportation, Dawn reported. The protest was organized by the Afghan Cultural Association, known as AKIS and was supported by multiple Afghan Diaspora organizations. Around 80 members of the Afghan diaspora community participated in the protest and raised slogans against the deportation of Afghan refugees by Pakistan, the Afghan Diaspora Network reported. Additionally, they also held banners opposing Pakistan's action and further highlighted the role of Pakistan in interfering in the internal affairs of Pakistan. Many prominent Afghans from Austria, including Abdul Malyar and Fazel Rahman, chairman of the various Afghan cultural associations in Austria, and Stoorai Khan of the PTM wing of Austria, spoke during this protest and strongly criticized the actions of Pakistan. They further urged the international community to pressurize Pakistan to stop the forced return of Afghans who have been living in Pakistan for several years, the Afghan Diaspora Network reported. Moreover, they stressed that the Pakistan Army is only responsible for the terror attacks in their country as they have been nurturing these terror organizations during their initial years, and have supported them with arms and ammunition. Pakistan is paying the price for its own actions, and it cannot shift the blame to Afghans who migrated to Pakistan long ago, the officials added. Malyar, who has been living in Austria for over 40 years, stated that this forceful deportation by Pakistan is a mechanism to interfere in the internal affairs of Afghanistan and also with the elections around the corner in Pakistan, to divert the attention of the Pakistanis from the core issues in Pakistan. Moreover, with the ongoing economic crisis in Pakistan, it has also planned to use this issue to attract more international aid in the name of refugees, Afghan Diaspora Network reported citing officials. (ANI)
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