Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, has provided the following answer to your written parliamentary question (HL197):
Question Lord Alton of Liverpool:
To ask His Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the human rights implications of the forced deportations of Afghans from Pakistan. (HL197)
Tabled on: 13 November 2023
This question was grouped with the following question(s) for answer from Lord Alton of Liverpool:
- To ask His Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the impact of the deportations of Afghans from Pakistan on religious minorities affected by the deportations, particularly (1) Hazaras, and (2) Ahmadis. (HL198)
Tabled on: 13 November 2023 - To ask His Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the level of instability in Afghanistan as a result of the mass deportations of Afghans from Pakistan. (HL199)
Tabled on: 13 November 2023
Answer:
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon:
The UK Government continues to monitor the return of Afghans from Pakistan. Pakistan has a long history of welcoming vulnerable refugees and we urge them to respect the human rights of all Afghans in Pakistan. We are working with the UN Refugee Agency to ensure Pakistan adheres to its international human rights obligations. Since September, we have committed £18.5 million to the International Organisation for Migration in Afghanistan to support vulnerable undocumented people returning from Pakistan and Iran. We are monitoring the situation in Afghanistan, including the humanitarian and human rights implications. We note the Taliban’s creation of a Refugee Commission to aid the resettlement of people returning.
