Pakistan'sleading rights group on Tuesday warned of a &humanitarian crisis& as it expressed concern over the government'sdecision to expel undocumented foreigners, most of whom comprise Afghan nationals.&The decision amounts to forced repatriation, which is not recognised under international customary law, and will invariably affect vulnerable refugees and asylum seekers, which include women, children, the elderly, persons living with disabilities, persons from low-income groups, and Afghans at risk because of their professions,& the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan said in a letter to UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi.The U.N.
refugee agency UNHCR and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said Pakistan'splans create &serious protection risks& for some forced to leave.The chargé d&affaires of the Afghanistan'spermanent mission to the UN said: &We are deeply concerned about Pakistan'srecent decision to deport unregistered Afghan refugees and said that we urge Pakistan to reconsider this action given the gravity of the situation in Afghanistan.&UN Special Rapporteur Richard Bennett also urged Pakistan to &uphold the absolute and non-derogable principle of non-refoulement and prevent collective expulsion and forced return& - cancel plans to deport 1.4 million Afghan nationals.&Pakistan is home to over 4 million Afghan migrants and refugees, about 1.7 million of whom are undocumented, according to Islamabad. The post Pakistan'smove to expel Afghan refugees may trigger ‘humanitarian crisis&, warns rights group first appeared on Ariana News.