Pakistan defends charging £660 fee from Afghan refugees leaving country

Mass migration of Afghans in freezing winter conditions could prove deadly to vulnerable groups

Pakistan has said the $830 (£660) it was charging Afghan refugees to leave the country was a “fine” for arriving without a visa.

Pakistan announced a crackdown on undocumented foreigners and said about 1.7 million unregistered Afghans would be ousted if they do not leave by the 1 November deadline.

The order has forced mass migrations of Afghans, including children, women and the elderly, in freezing winter conditions that rights organisations say could prove deadly to vulnerable groups.

Thousands of Afghans have begun their arduous journey back home through the Torkham and Spin Boldak border crossings, facing some of the worst living conditions in the rugged border region amid paperwork delays.

Of the 1.7 million Afghans Pakistan hosted, more than half a million people fled Afghanistan in August 2021. Most of them also fled during the 1979-1989 Soviet War. Others came to Pakistan to escape Taliban rule during its takeover of power from 1996 to 2001.

Authorities in Pakistan have said that fines will depend upon how long they have stayed in the country with expired visas.

Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a press briefing on Thursday that fines “will be in conformity with our laws”.

Pakistani police officials check the documents of people during search operation for undocumented immigrants in Karachi (EPA)

“Pakistani laws, like the immigration laws in other countries including the United Kingdom, have fines and punishments for individuals who overstay their visas or are in violation of immigration laws,” it said.

The reports of Pakistan charging a fee from migrants have been criticised by the UN and several Western diplomats, with some calling it “unprecedented”.

The UN Refugee Agency (UNHRC) said they are “advocating for the authorities to exempt refugees from these requirements”.

Afghan refugee Shazia (2R), mother to three children, holds an infant while travelling on a truck to Jalalabad from a makeshift camp (AFP via Getty)

“The government and people of Pakistan have a commendable, decades-long history of providing asylum and protection to Afghan refugees, this needs to continue,” it told BBC.

Babar Baloch, a spokesperson for the UN high commissioner for refugees (UNHCR), said the situation has caused anxiety among those leaving Pakistan.

Immigrants, mostly Afghans, line up as they wait for their turn to verify data at a counter of Pakistan’s National Database and Registration Authority in Karachi (AP)

“The UNHCR is working with the government of Pakistan to resolve the issue of exit fines and overstay visa fees for refugees in the resettlement programme,” he added.

It urged Pakistan to pause the deportation of undocumented Afghan refugees during the harsh winter season.

It comes as police executed door-to-door searches in refugee settlements to find those who have not left voluntarily.

The officers began the campaign from the port city of Karachi, where hundreds of thousands of Afghans live. And those remaining risk being forcefully expelled.

“UNHCR is calling upon the government of Pakistan to halt these mass numbers of returns during this harsh season of winter because the cold in Afghanistan is really deadly and it can take lives,” Mr Baloch told Reuters.

“We’re talking about desperate women, children and men being on the move, leaving Pakistan in droves,” he said.