International media have reported that following the mass deportation of Afghan migrants from Pakistan, at least 130 migrants awaiting U.S. visas were also deported.
Reuters reported on Tuesday, citing its sources that the Pakistani government has ignored U.S. letters confirming the migrants’ eligibility for relocation to US during the mass deportation of migrants.
According to the report, citing one of the Afghan migrants in Pakistan who was waiting to receive a U.S. visa and had a letter confirming his immigration case, but Pakistani police raided his home and disregarded the letter.
Previously, the Ministry of Interior of Pakistan had announced the receipt of a list of Afghan refugees that the U.S. Department of State had shared with the Pakistani government to prevent the possible deportation of eligible refugees to the U.S.
This list was rejected by the Ministry of Interior of Pakistan, but according to Reuters, citing a spokesperson for the U.S. Department of State, Washington has once again provided Pakistan with a list of Afghans eligible for resettlement in America.
However, at least three diplomats, including Shawn VanDiver, the head of an entity known as “Afghan Evac,” have confirmed to Reuters that Pakistan has ignored the list and the existing letters among the migrants during the deportation.
Since early November 2023, it has been reported that nearly half a million Afghan migrants have been deported from Pakistan.
The large-scale deportation has affected a significant number of the Afghan migrant population residing in Pakistan over the past months.
