PESHAWAR: Authorities in Pakistan’s northwestern district of Peshawar have temporarily restricted the movement of Afghan refugees due to security concerns ahead of religious processions scheduled next week, according to a notification that came to light on Saturday.
The decision was made as the city’s Shia population plans to mark the 40th-day mourning ritual by taking out processions, following the observance of the martyrdom anniversary of Imam Hussain, the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), last month.
The notification issued by Deputy Commissioner of Peshawar, Captain (retired) Sarmad Saleem Akram, mentioned “substantive threats” to Shia processions and gatherings that could lead to loss of lives and affect the security situation in the district.
“In exercise of powers conferred on me u/s 144 CrPC [Criminal Procedure Code], [I] do hereby order and impose ban on the movement of Afghan Refugees out of their camps and not be allowed to move around within the jurisdiction of District Peshawar,” he said in a notification issued on Friday.
“Anyone found violating this order shall be proceeded against,” he added.
The notification specified the order will remain in force for a period of six days starting August 24.
Pakistan launched a deportation drive against “illegal immigrants,” mostly Afghans, last year following a spike in suicide bombings, which the government blamed on Afghan nationals without providing evidence. Pakistan also claimed that Afghan citizens were involved in smuggling and other crimes in the country.
According to the state broadcaster Radio Pakistan, the government has so far repatriated over 691,000 Afghans since initiating the expulsion last year, amid criticism from international rights organizations.
Responding to the development, Khan Muhammad, the focal person for refugees at the Afghan Commissionerate in Peshawar, expressed concern, noting that most of these people were daily wage laborers.
“We will abide by the law of the land,” he told Arab News. “But these restrictions also multiply our problems. Most of the refugees go out to find work in the morning to make a livelihood and feed their children in the evening.”
However, Haider Ali, the Commissionerate’s security chief, said imposing such restrictions was an annual practice by the provincial administration to prevent untoward incidents.
“Yes, the ban multiplies the problems of refugees,” he said. “But we can’t compromise people’s security, especially under the current security environment in neighboring Afghanistan.”
Pakistan has witnessed a surge in militant attacks in recent years, which it blames on armed groups in Afghanistan, while accusing the interim Taliban administration in Kabul of facilitating cross-border attacks against Pakistani civilians and security forces.
The Afghan authorities have frequently denied these charges, calling Pakistan’s security challenges an internal issue of Islamabad.
Until the government initiated the deportation drive against Afghans last year, Pakistan was home to over four million refugees, of which around 1.7 million were undocumented, according to government figures.