ISLAMABAD: Hollywood actress Angelina Jolie on Monday criticized Pakistan’s decision to “abruptly push back” Afghan refugees it says are residing illegally in the country, describing it as a “new tragedy” for the people of Afghanistan. 

Thousands of Afghans have left Pakistan since Sept. 2023 after Islamabad launched a nationwide crackdown against illegal immigrants in the country. A surge in terrorist attacks and a crippling economic crisis has made Islamabad wary of Afghans, who form the majority of foreign nationals in Pakistan. Many Afghans have complained of harassment by police and law enforcers, saying that they are being forced to leave despite possessing legal documents that allow them to stay in Pakistan.

Jolie, a prominent American actress known for her outspoken views on social issues, has dedicated over 20 years of service to the UN Refugee Agency. She served as a Goodwill Ambassador from 2001-2012 and then as a special envoy from 2012-2022. 

“Pakistan has been a supporter for many Afghan refugee families for decades,” Jolie wrote on photo and video sharing app Instagram on Monday. “I am saddened they would so abruptly push back refugees who face the impossible realities of trying to survive in today’s Afghanistan, where women have again been deprived of all rights and the possibility of education, many are being imprisoned, and there is a deep humanitarian crisis.”

Jolie described the deportation of Afghan refugees as “yet another example of the backsliding in human rights globally,” saying that it is a new tragedy for the people of Afghanistan. “People who have experienced nothing but war and conflict and displacement for over forty years, and are being abandoned by the world after all the promises that were made of a better future for the Afghan people,” she added. 

Pakistan has long hosted millions of Afghans, most of whom fled during the 1979-1989 Soviet occupation. More than half a million fled Afghanistan after the Taliban takeover, according to the UN Refugee Agency. 

Pakistan’s decision to expel illegal Afghans from the country has drawn criticism from Afghanistan and further strained its ties with the country. The Taliban-led government in Afghanistan has disputed Pakistan’s claims that Afghan nationals are involved in militant activities and organized crime in the country. 

International rights groups have requested Pakistan to ensure the deportation of Afghan refugees to their country is done voluntarily and in a safe manner.