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Activists of the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM) in Europe staged a protest in front of the United Nations office in Geneva to denounce the crackdown and forced deportation of Afghan refugees from Pakistan to Taliban-ruled Afghanistan.
PTM activist Fazal-Ur-Rehman Afridi said on Wednesday that the eviction is against international laws and must be stopped immediately as Pakistani law enforcement agencies have unleashed a 'reign of terror' against the refugees. He blamed them for harassing, keeping the refugees in arbitrary detention and also torturing them. The protesters highlighted that Pakistani authorities also demolished several Afghan private and commercial properties, despite the fact that the majority of these people had proof of registration cards and were residing legally. Those who could not pay bribes to the local police were later deported, putting their lives in danger as Afghanistan itself is facing a humanitarian crisis. The activists also noted that Noor Ullah Tareen, the coordinator of PTM Karachi, who is a strong voice for Afghan refugees, was also arbitrarily arrested on October 4 by the personnel of Secret Services and police without any warrant. Meanwhile, Mushtaq, PTM Co-Ordinator of Peshawar, and other PTM activists, including Aftab Shinwari, Bilal Orakzai and Hayat Roghani, were arrested in Peshawar while on their way to a proposed seminar on Afghan refugees at the Peshawar Press Club on October 16. Pakistan has so far not entertained calls by international organisations and refugee agencies to reconsider the move, saying Afghans have been involved in terror attacks and in crimes that undermine security. The protesters in Geneva requested the international community to intervene and urged the European Union to reconsider the GSP status of Pakistan, which is coming to an end in December 2023, over the gross human rights violations. (ANI)
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