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‘We go out like thieves’: Afghan refugees face crackdown against ‘illegal’ immigrants in Karachi

A man walks past as children play in a street in the Al-Asif Square neighborhood, mostly populated with Afghan refugees, on the outskirts of Karachi on September 20, 2023. (AN Photo)
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Updated 21 September 2023
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‘We go out like thieves’: Afghan refugees face crackdown against ‘illegal’ immigrants in Karachi

  • Afghan envoy in Karachi says over 900 arrested since crackdown on Sept. 9
  • Afghan refugees say police take bribes, refuse to acknowledge legal documents
Updated 21 September 2023
NAIMAT KHAN

KARACHI: Nazia Saif, an Afghan refugee residing in a small apartment in Karachi’s busy Al-Asif Square area, is concerned with what the future holds for her after police arrested her husband, a daily wager, last Monday on charges of being an illegal Afghan immigrant. With her husband gone and a family to feed, Saif wonders who will put food on the table for them.

Pakistan launched a crackdown against illegal immigrants in the country on Saturday, Sept. 9. Police rounded up hundreds of Afghan citizens in Pakistan’s financial hub Karachi, accusing them of being illegal immigrants in the country. Last Friday, Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar said Pakistan would repatriate all illegal Afghan immigrants to curb smuggling of goods and foreign currency.

Pakistan first opened its borders to Afghan refugees in the 1980s after the beginning of a US-sponsored and Pakistan-backed ‘Afghan jihad’ to counter the so-called expansionist designs of the former Soviet Union, becoming the largest refugee-hosting country in the world. As per the UN, over 4.4 million Afghan refugees have returned to their homeland since 2002 under a UNHCR-assisted voluntary repatriation program, but around 1.4 million still live in refugee camps, villages and urban centers across Pakistan.

“My husband used to work hard to feed his children. Now, when they arrested him, what will we do?” Saif, 28, told Arab News, adding that Saif-Ud-Din possessed Proof of Registration (PoR) Card, which entitles Afghan immigrants to legally stay in Pakistan.

“This is not how the law works, it has some rules.”




Nazia Saif, 28, an Afghan refugee residing in the Al-Asif Square neighborhood, gestures with her children during an interview with Arab News in Karachi on September 20, 2023. (AN Photo)

Saif-Ud-Din, 32, was selling fries at a roadside stall when police arrested him on Sept.11. Afghan Consul General in Karachi, Syed Abdul Jabbar, said over 900 individuals have been arrested since Sept. 9 when the crackdown began. Two hundred individuals have since then been released, he said.

“More than 900 have been arrested and the crackdown still goes on and the police continues to harass Afghan refugees with legal documents,” Jabbar told Arab News.

Arab News reached out to the Sindh Chief Minister’s office, the Inspector-General of Police and Karachi police chief to comment on the allegations but did not receive a response. Pakistani police authorities have in the past rejected allegations they harass Afghan immigrants legally entitled to stay in Pakistan.

Karachi police spokesperson Rehan Khan confirmed to Independent Urdu on Tuesday police had initiated a crackdown against illegal Afghan immigrants since Sept. 9. He said police had arrested a total of 545 illegal Afghan immigrants from Sept. 9-14.

Hajji Abdullah, the head of the Afghan refugees in Sindh, said he had data that indicated that 1,200 people had been transferred to jails since Sept. 9 while 3,800 secured their release after allegedly paying bribes to police.




A group of Afghan refugees, residing in the Al-Asif Square neighborhood, carry Proof of Registration cards on camera during an interview with Arab News in Karachi on September 20, 2023. (AN Photo)

Hailing from Kunduz in Afghanistan, most of Saif’s family members, including her brother Ihsan Khan, were born in Pakistan. Khan is also among the Afghan refugees who were arrested in the crackdown.

“He [Khan] was arrested just a day earlier as well, and they took his Rs1,000 ($3.39) wage and destroyed the photocopy of his card,” Saif lamented, as her mother chimed in, saying that the arrests had devastated the family.

“Who will take care of the household needs? Who will arrange the food, as my son is in jail,” she asked.

In the wake of these arrests, the family prohibited Salahuddin, Saif-ud-Din’s younger brother, from venturing outside. Salahuddin has been confined to his home for the past nine years.

“When I went to the market today to buy fruit, a policeman took Rs7,000 [$23.75] from me,” Salahuddin, 20, told Arab News. “He threatened me, saying that if I didn’t give him the money, he would take me to Gulshan-e-Maymar’s jungle and kill me in an encounter.”

Naqeebullah Khan, another refugee, said Afghans felt compelled to either stay indoors or, if they must go out, take their young children along as a form of protection against police.

“When we go out, we have to make our little child sit on the motorcycle, as if he is our passport and ID card,” he said. “We do have the cards, but they don’t work in front of the police. We go out on roads like thieves.”

This dire situation, as described by Abdullah, has restrained Afghans to their homes, with people unable to conduct business or earn daily wages to support their families.

“For the last 12 days, Afghan homes have turned into prisons,” Abdullah said.

Topics: Afghan refugee in Pakistan Afghan refugees Pakistan Afghan Refugees

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Protesters in northwest Pakistan end weeklong sit-in after CM assures no military operation being launched

Updated 16 sec ago
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Protesters in northwest Pakistan end weeklong sit-in after CM assures no military operation being launched

  • Pakistan’s government last month announced a new campaign to counter a fresh surge in militancy in areas along the border with Afghanistan
  • The announcement raised fears among locals as past operations displaced hundreds of thousands of people and destroyed livelihoods in region
Updated 16 sec ago
REHMAT MEHSUD

PESHAWAR: Thousands of protesters, who had been staging a sit-in in Pakistan’s Bannu district for a week, on Friday called off their protest after Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur assured them that no military operation was being launched in the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province.
Pakistan’s government last month announced a new campaign to counter a fresh surge in militancy in areas along the border with Afghanistan. Major opposition parties opposed the operation and in Bannu — where eight soldiers were killed in a suicide bombing last week — thousands held rallies to call for peace and security.
One of the key demands of the protesters in Bannu was for the government to not launch any new military operation in the province. They demanded that a spike in militant attacks in the region be tackled by empowering and better equipping civilian agencies like the police and the counter-terrorism department (CTD).
On Friday, CM Gandapur traveled to Bannu where he spoke to the protesters and announced at a rally that all their demands had been accepted in letter and spirit, lauding local elders for helping avert violence when two protesters were killed after gunfire triggered a stampede at the rally on June 19.
“I have a signed copy [of the demands]. It has been done the way you [protesters] wanted,” he told the gathering. “I’m the owner of this soil and land, no one can oppress me or coerce me. As chief minister, I declare that there will be no operation in the province.”
The announcement came a day after the provincial apex committee, which comprises civilian leaders and military commanders in the province, met to discuss the situation in Bannu. The KP government later clarified that police and the CTD would be tasked to take action against militants amid a surge in violence in the area.
The resentment for military operation stems from past displacement of hundreds of thousands of people and destruction of countless homes and businesses in successive military campaigns in KP that began in 2014. But Pakistani military spokesman Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry dispelled the fears this week, saying the newly proposed Azm-e-Istehkam campaign was not meant to be a full-scale military operation.
“We have offered sacrifices for our homeland and stood loyal to the country and its people. We left our homes and became nomads for our land and for the sake of peace,” Gandapur said. “We will offer sacrifices again but we will make the decisions ourselves and will not allow anyone to impose their decisions.”
The chief minister appreciated police for taking swift action against illegal armed groups in Bannu.
Provincial Minister for Public Health Engineering Pakhtunyar Khan, who hails from Bannu, said the people of the region had experienced “unspeakable hardships” for the sake of peace.
“We want peace for the entire province and we will not back down from this demand,” Khan said at the rally.
On Thursday, the apex committee said the judiciary would be requested to hold an inquiry into the Bannu shooting incident, a demand that had been put forward by protesters and Pakistan’s opposition alliance.
“Meanwhile, the government will hold its own inquiry and identify the persons responsible,” it said in a statement.

Topics: bannu protest

Pakistan’s finance minister discusses Panda Bond launch with China’s central bank governor in Beijing

Updated 41 min 50 sec ago
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Pakistan’s finance minister discusses Panda Bond launch with China’s central bank governor in Beijing

  • The bonds are denominated in China’s currency and will provide Pakistan access to Chinese capital markets
  • The finance minister also discusses the next CPEC stage, expected to emphasize business-to-business ties
Updated 41 min 50 sec ago
Aamir Saeed

ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Finance and Revenue Muhammad Aurangzeb briefed Governor of People’s Bank of China (PBoC) Pan Gongsheng on Pakistan’s plan to launch Panda Bonds during a meeting in Beijing on Friday in which they discussed a wide range of economic issues.
Panda Bonds are sold in China’s domestic market and are denominated in its currency, though they are issued by non-Chinese entities. Pakistan plans to issue these bonds to diversify its funding sources and strengthen its foreign exchange reserves by attracting Chinese investors.
According to local media reports, the initial issuance is expected to raise between $250 million and $300 million, helping Pakistan improve its financial stability amid economic challenges like high inflation and declining forex reserves.
The minister spoke about the government’s economic policy during the meeting in which reprentatives of other financial institutions were also present.
“Underlining Pakistan’s plan to launch Panda Bonds, Minister for Finance briefed PBoC and other Financial Institutions about the steps taken so far and sought cooperation of the Chinese institutional investors in the capital market to seek benefit from the pro-business policies of the new [Pakistani] Government,” said a statement issued by the finance division after the meeting.
The Pakistani official also highlighted his country’s improving macroeconomic indicators, reforms in tax collection and energy sector and privatization of loss-making state-owned enterprises.
He applauded Chinese President Xi Jinping’s Belt and Road Initiative while reviewing the progress of its flagship China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project.
The minister noted the next phase of CPEC would focus on strengthening business-to-business cooperation, with private sector playing the central role in the development and economic growth.
He arrived in China on Thursday to open talks on power sector structural reforms suggested by the International Monetary Fund, two government sources quoted by Reuters.
Aurangzeb is also accompanied by Pakistan’s Power Minster Awais Ahmed Khan Leghari.
According to Reuters, both officials are expected to take up several proposals with the Chinese side, including reprofiling of nearly $15 billion energy sector debt.

Topics: Pakistan China Ties Muhammad Aurangzeb Pakistan china Pakistan economy Panda bonds

Pakistani craftsman strives to preserve antiques in a dying industry

Updated 40 min 38 sec ago
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Pakistani craftsman strives to preserve antiques in a dying industry

  • Based in Rawalpindi’s Bhabra Bazaar, Mohammad Shakeel Abbasi has restored centuries-old bugles, decorative dishes, jars, vases and teapots 
  • Artefacts at Abbasi’s shop sell for anywhere between $40 to $1,000, many collectors place orders after coming across antiques online
Updated 40 min 38 sec ago
Aamir Saeed

RAWALPINDI: Antiquarian Mohammad Shakeel Abbasi pulled open the shutter of his shop in the Pakistani city of Rawalpindi to reveal a small space choke-full of bugles, decorative dishes, jars, vases, teapots, bowls and plates inscribed with ancient motifs.
Located in the historic Bhabra Bazaar, Abbasi’s shop, lit up by a few naked light bulbs, is among a dwindling number of antique restoration workshops in the garrison city. The 71-year-old inherited the craft from his forefathers and set up the shop nearly 40 years ago in 1985, now employing three workers who help him repair, polish and electroplate copper and brass relics to be sold to customers in Pakistan and abroad.
“Since then [1985] I’ve been in this business,” Abbasi told Arab News at his shop earlier this month as he dusted an antique bugle. “We purchase antique items and repair them and polish them and then sell them to our dedicated customers.” 
Buyers reach out to him from as far as the UK and US, he added. 
Abbasi mainly sources copper and brass items from households and scrap dealers, who scour heaps of imported items that first land at the port in Pakistan’s commercial hub of Karachi. 
“The traders who buy them, they contact us,” the craftsman said. “They are broken items, and we have to repair them and polish and recondition them to the extent that you cannot even tell that this was an old item.”
Antiques at Abbasi’s shop can sell for anywhere between $40 to $1,000, but the art of antique preservation and restoration is now at risk of being lost as the new generation is opting out of the profession. 
“The problem is that the craftsmen who used to work [on antiques] are no longer available. Not a lot of attention is given to this craft, The government has also not prioritized training craftsmen,” Abbasi lamented. 
“Antiquarians quit the business due to lack of business, and some passed away and the new generation isn’t interested in this line of work.”
Customers and collectors who frequent Abbasi’s shop often place orders after coming across antique items on the Internet.
“I have liked an antiques page [on social media]. I searched for an item on the Internet and told him [Abbasi] about it and he arranged it for me,” Dr. Ahmad Ali, an antique collector, told Arab News. “It was the same thing that I had ordered.”
Shamas Rehman, who has been a collector for over two decades, praised Abbasi’s fine craftsmanship. 
“My forefathers were collecting antiques, it was their hobby, and now I have been collecting them since 2003,” he said, “and from wherever we can get the antiques, we buy them, collect them and place them in our homes, and this goes on.”

Topics: Antiquities Rawalpindi

Government orders police to ensure ceasefire after nine killed over property dispute in northwest Pakistan

Updated 26 July 2024
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Government orders police to ensure ceasefire after nine killed over property dispute in northwest Pakistan

  • The deadly and ongoing clashes over property dispute broke out on Wednesday 
  • Kurram has seen conflicts between tribes and religious groups in the past
Updated 26 July 2024
WASIM SAJJAD

PESHAWAR: The provincial administration of Pakistan's northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province on Friday instructed police to take necessary steps to end ongoing clashes in Kurram district over a property dispute, with nine people killed and dozens injured.

Located along Pakistan’s border with Afghanistan, the area has witnessed deadly conflicts among tribes and religious groups in the past as well as sectarian clashes and militant attacks. A major conflict that began in Kurram in 2007 continued for years before it was ended with the help of a jirga, a traditional assembly of tribal elders.

The current clash over a land dispute broke out on Wednesday and quickly spread to several villages and nearby settlements. 

According to an official statement circulated by the KP government, Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur directed the district administration and police to ensure a ceasefire.

“No one will be allowed to take the law into their own hands or disturb the peace of the area,” Gandapur was quoted as saying. “The administration and police must ensure the rule of government and law in the area. The parties to the dispute are also urged to resolve the property issue through a jirga according to tribal traditions.”

Syed Mir Hassan Jan, the Medical Superintendent at the District Headquarters Hospital in Kurram, said nine bodies and 58 injured people linked to the clashes had been brought to the hospital in the last three days.

The District Police Officer in Kurram, Nisar Ahmad Khan, said sporadic attacks were still ongoing.

“The conflict intensifies at night,” he said. “Sporadic exchange of fire has been going on between the tribes during the past two days.”

Khan said a large number of police and army personnel had been deployed at various locations to prevent clashes.

“The jirga, district administration, army and police have intervened to control the situation,” he added. 

The roads leading to Kurram have also been shut down since the clashes began.

“The entrances and exits were closed so that any third-party intervention could be avoided,” the DPO said.

Topics: Arab News Pakistan

Security forces kill militant in intelligence-based operation in Pakistan’s northwest

Updated 26 July 2024
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Security forces kill militant in intelligence-based operation in Pakistan’s northwest

  • ISPR calls the slain militant a close associate of Hafiz Gul Bahadur, a high-value target
  • It says he facilitated a suicide bombing that killed seven Pakistani security personnel
Updated 26 July 2024
Arab News Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: Security forces have killed a militant in an intelligence-based operation in Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, the military’s media wing, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), said on Friday, adding that he facilitated suicide bombings and was involved in target killings.

KP, which borders Afghanistan, has seen a surge in attacks on security forces, government officials and anti-polio vaccination teams in recent weeks. In a major attack in the province’s Bannu district, ten soldiers were killed when militants launched a coordinated attack on a military cantonment on July 15.

Islamabad blames the recent surge in attacks, including the attack on the army cantonment in Bannu, on Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), a proscribed armed network, which it says operates out of neighboring Afghanistan. Kabul denies the allegations and says rising violence in Pakistan is a domestic issue for Islamabad.

“Security forces conducted an intelligence-based operation in the North Waziristan district on the reported presence of terrorists,” the ISPR said, adding that during the course of the operation, a militant named Razzaq was killed.

The slain militant was a close associate of Hafiz Gul Bahadur, a high-value target, and remained involved in numerous militant activities in the area including the target killing of Malik Sher Muhammad, a local leader, earlier this year apart from facilitating a suicide bombing in March that resulted in the killing of seven soldiers.

The ISPR said a “sanitization operation” was being conducted to eliminate any other militant found in the area, adding that the security forces remained determined to eliminate extremist violence from the country.

Topics: Pakistan Army IBO Pakistan

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