ISLAMABAD: Afghan diplomats in Pakistan are trying to persuade the Pakistani authorities to extend the stay of registered Afghan refugees by up to one year, following the decision by the Pakistani Cabinet that the refugees must leave the country by Jan. 31.
On Jan. 3, the Pakistani Cabinet decided to grant just a one-month extension to the Proof of Registration (PoR) cards that allow registered Afghan refugees to legally reside in Pakistan. That extension period will expire at the end of this month.
Zardasht Shams, Afghanistan’s deputy ambassador in Islamabad, told Arab News on Saturday that Pakistan’s decision to repatriate nearly 1.4 million refugees in a single month is “practically impossible” to implement.
“We are seriously concerned at the decision,” Shams said.
“We have requested Pakistan to extend the stay of refugees to the end of 2018. But, at the same time, we are asking refugees to be ready for repatriation.”
He warned that refugees could face “harassment” by police after their PoR cards expire on Jan. 31.
Besides the 1.4 million registered Afghan refugees, Pakistan also hosts around 1 million unregistered Afghans and the process of their documentation is currently underway across Pakistan, Shams explained.
“In the meanwhile, we are meeting refugee elders to encourage them to repatriate,” he said.
The Afghan Embassy and government received the information through the media, Shams claimed, and “have not received anything in writing” from the Pakistani government.
He said the relevant departments in Afghanistan, including the Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation, are also preparing in case there is a “huge exodus.”
“We are also in touch with UNHCR (the UN Refugee Agency) and aid organizations in Kabul,” the deputy ambassador said.
An official from Pakistan’s States and Frontiers Regions Division (SAFRON), which deals with refugees, said the ministry and other stakeholders will prepare a “mega plan” for refugees’ repatriation if the government does not decide to grant an extension.
“It could take one year or even more time to repatriate 1.4 million refugees. We will approach the government to give us enough time to implement the decision,” the official, who asked to remain anonymous, told Arab News on Saturday.
He said the government has a stated policy that refugees will not be forced to leave, and that the repatriation policy will be implemented with care.
The Pakistani Cabinet reportedly suggested that the issue of early repatriation of Afghan refugees should be raised with UNHCR and the international community.
As part of Afghanistan’s diplomatic efforts, the ambassador to Pakistan, Omar Zakhilwal, met the UNHCR’s Pakistan Representative, Ruvendrini Menikdiwela, on Thursday to discuss the repatriation issue.
Although the Cabinet stated “Pakistan’s economy has carried the burden of hosting Afghan refugees for a long time and in the present circumstances cannot sustain it further,” many believe the decision was taken because of tensions between Pakistan and the US, and Pakistan’s concerns that militants may use refugee camps to evade capture.
Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif told Pakistan’s Geo television last month that Afghan militants had “entered the camps of Afghan refugees and they keep on changing positions and relocating.”
He also called for repatriation of the refugees and pushed the Trump administration to finance, at least in part, the repatriation and resettlement of refugees in Afghanistan.
Qaisar Khan Afridi, UNHCR spokesman in Islamabad, said the Afghan refugees in Pakistan “face an uncertain future concerning their continued stay.”
“This decision seemingly runs counter to the conclusions of the 29th Tripartite Commission meeting held on Nov. 30, 2017, which emphasized the need for at least a one-year extension of the PoR cards,” he told Arab News.
“UNHCR acknowledges Pakistan’s generosity in hosting one of the world’s largest protracted refugee populations for almost four decades. The UNHCR calls for international support for the Pakistani government’s efforts to continue to host the almost 1.4 million Afghan refugees currently residing in Pakistan,” he said.
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Afghan diplomats seek extension for refugees in Pakistan
Afghan diplomats seek extension for refugees in Pakistan
US bringing seized tanker to port as Venezuela war fears build
- Washington took control of the tanker in a dramatic raid that saw US forces rope down from a helicopter onto the vessel
- Trump told Politico that Maduro’s ‘days are numbered’ and declined to rule out a US ground invasion of Venezuela
WASHINGTON: An oil tanker seized by American forces off the Venezuelan coast will be brought to a port in the United States, the White House said Thursday, as fears mount of open conflict between the two countries.
Washington took control of the tanker in a dramatic raid that saw US forces rope down from a helicopter onto the vessel in an operation that Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said was aimed at leftist Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro’s “regime.”
President Donald Trump’s administration has been piling pressure on Venezuela for months with a major naval build-up in the region that has been accompanied by strikes on alleged drug-trafficking boats that have killed close to 90 people.
Russian leader Vladimir Putin on Thursday expressed support during a phone call with his ally Maduro, but with Moscow’s forces tied down in a grinding war in Ukraine, its capacity to provide aid is limited.
“The vessel will go to a US port and the United States does intend to seize the oil,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told journalists of the tanker.
“We’re not going to stand by and watch sanctioned vessels sail the seas with black-market oil, the proceeds of which will fuel narco-terrorism of rogue and illegitimate regimes around the world.”
Earlier on Thursday, Noem told a congressional hearing that the tanker operation was “pushing back on a regime that is systematically covering and flooding our country with deadly drugs” — a reference to US allegations of narcotics smuggling by Maduro’s government.
A video released Wednesday by US Attorney General Pam Bondi showed American forces descending from a helicopter onto the tanker’s deck, then entering the ship’s bridge with weapons raised.
Bondi said the ship was part of an “illicit oil shipping network” that was used to carry sanctioned oil.
Blatant theft
Venezuela’s foreign ministry said it “strongly denounces and condemns what constitutes blatant theft and an act of international piracy.”
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Thursday expressed concern over the escalating tensions and urged restraint.
“We are calling on all actors to refrain from action that could further escalate bilateral tensions and destabilize Venezuela and the region,” his spokesperson said.
US media reported that the tanker had been heading for Cuba — another American rival — and that the ship was stopped by the US Coast Guard.
Dick Durbin, the top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, said Thursday he questioned the legality of the tanker seizure and that “any president, before he engages in an act of war, has to have the authorization of the American people through Congress.”
“This president is preparing for an invasion of Venezuela, simply said. And if the American people are in favor of that, I’d be surprised,” Durbin told CNN.
Washington has accused Maduro of leading the alleged “Cartel of the Suns,” which it declared a “narco-terrorist” organization last month, and has offered a $50 million reward for information leading to his capture.
The US Treausury also imposed new sanctions Thursday targeting three of Maduro’s relatives as well as six companies shipping the South American country’s oil.
Trump told Politico on Monday that Maduro’s “days are numbered” and declined to rule out a US ground invasion of Venezuela.
The Trump administration alleges that Maduro’s hold on power is illegitimate and that he stole Venezuela’s July 2024 election.
Maduro — the political heir to leftist leader Hugo Chavez — says the United States is bent on regime change and wants to seize Venezuela’s oil reserves.
Washington took control of the tanker in a dramatic raid that saw US forces rope down from a helicopter onto the vessel in an operation that Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said was aimed at leftist Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro’s “regime.”
President Donald Trump’s administration has been piling pressure on Venezuela for months with a major naval build-up in the region that has been accompanied by strikes on alleged drug-trafficking boats that have killed close to 90 people.
Russian leader Vladimir Putin on Thursday expressed support during a phone call with his ally Maduro, but with Moscow’s forces tied down in a grinding war in Ukraine, its capacity to provide aid is limited.
“The vessel will go to a US port and the United States does intend to seize the oil,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told journalists of the tanker.
“We’re not going to stand by and watch sanctioned vessels sail the seas with black-market oil, the proceeds of which will fuel narco-terrorism of rogue and illegitimate regimes around the world.”
Earlier on Thursday, Noem told a congressional hearing that the tanker operation was “pushing back on a regime that is systematically covering and flooding our country with deadly drugs” — a reference to US allegations of narcotics smuggling by Maduro’s government.
A video released Wednesday by US Attorney General Pam Bondi showed American forces descending from a helicopter onto the tanker’s deck, then entering the ship’s bridge with weapons raised.
Bondi said the ship was part of an “illicit oil shipping network” that was used to carry sanctioned oil.
Blatant theft
Venezuela’s foreign ministry said it “strongly denounces and condemns what constitutes blatant theft and an act of international piracy.”
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Thursday expressed concern over the escalating tensions and urged restraint.
“We are calling on all actors to refrain from action that could further escalate bilateral tensions and destabilize Venezuela and the region,” his spokesperson said.
US media reported that the tanker had been heading for Cuba — another American rival — and that the ship was stopped by the US Coast Guard.
Dick Durbin, the top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, said Thursday he questioned the legality of the tanker seizure and that “any president, before he engages in an act of war, has to have the authorization of the American people through Congress.”
“This president is preparing for an invasion of Venezuela, simply said. And if the American people are in favor of that, I’d be surprised,” Durbin told CNN.
Washington has accused Maduro of leading the alleged “Cartel of the Suns,” which it declared a “narco-terrorist” organization last month, and has offered a $50 million reward for information leading to his capture.
The US Treausury also imposed new sanctions Thursday targeting three of Maduro’s relatives as well as six companies shipping the South American country’s oil.
Trump told Politico on Monday that Maduro’s “days are numbered” and declined to rule out a US ground invasion of Venezuela.
The Trump administration alleges that Maduro’s hold on power is illegitimate and that he stole Venezuela’s July 2024 election.
Maduro — the political heir to leftist leader Hugo Chavez — says the United States is bent on regime change and wants to seize Venezuela’s oil reserves.
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