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Geneva, May 2 (IANS) The United Nations Committee against Torture (CAT) expressed grave concerns over Pakistan’s mass deportation of Afghan refugees, including children, following the adoption of the 2023 Illegal Foreigners’ Repatriation Plan, citing the absence of individual assessment of protection needs and risks of refoulement.

In its recent findings on Pakistan’s implementation of the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, the Committee raised alarm over the coercive measures adopted by the authorities against Afghan nationals, including registered refugees, to pressure them to return to Afghanistan, despite the risk of persecution, torture or ill-treatment.

“These coercive measures reportedly include harassment and intimidation, threats of deportation, police abuse, extortion, raids and arbitrary detention,” it noted.

The Committee urged Pakistani authorities to consider repealing or reviewing the Illegal Foreigners’ Repatriation Plan, warning of the serious risks it poses to non-citizens, particularly Afghan nationals.

It also called for a thorough investigation into allegations of police abuse against Afghan refugees, with those responsible to be disciplined or criminally prosecuted.

The Committee also highlighted reports of “torture and ill-treatment” and “other forms of retaliation” against human rights defenders, civil society activists, journalists, lawyers, political opponents, protesters and other critics of the government across Pakistan.

“These acts include intimidation, threats, harassment, excessive use of force, arbitrary arrest and detention, prosecution on politically motivated charges, including before military courts, enforced disappearance and extrajudicial execution,” it added.

The Committee further called on the Pakistani authorities “to take the necessary measures to ensure that these people are adequately protected from torture and ill-treatment and other forms of reprisals and that all human rights violations are thoroughly investigated, those responsible are brought to justice and victims are provided with effective remedies.”

Expressing concerns over the situation of former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi, as well as other activists, including Idris Khattak, Ali Wazir and Mahrang Baloch, the Committee noted that their “arbitrary detentions” were confirmed by the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, especially with regard to their lack of access to medical care.

It is recommended that Pakistan, as a state party to the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, must review the situation of all individuals allegedly detained and imprisoned on political grounds or in retaliation for their work, while ensuring their access to adequate medical care during detention.

–IANS

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Kabul, April 4 (IANS) At least eight people have been killed in a 5.9-magnitude earthquake that struck northern Afghanistan, Mohammad Yousuf Hammad, a spokesman for the Afghanistan National Disaster Management Authority, said.

A house in Kabul province collapsed following the quake, killing eight residents and injuring a child, Hammad said late Friday night.

Strong tremors were also felt in the capital, Kabul. The epicentre, with a depth of 186.4 km, was initially determined to be at 36.55 degrees north latitude and 70.85 degrees east longitude, Xinhua news agency reported.

Earthquake tremors were felt across Delhi-NCR and several parts of North India on Friday night, triggering panic among residents who rushed out of homes and office buildings.

The tremors were reported from multiple locations, including Delhi, Noida, Gurugram, Ghaziabad and Faridabad, as well as parts of Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and adjoining regions.

Residents had reported feeling sudden jerks while seated, with furniture and hanging objects swaying. Many people said the shaking lasted for a few seconds but was strong enough to be clearly felt indoors.

In several residential areas, people stepped out of their homes as a precaution, while office-goers briefly evacuated buildings. People gathered in open spaces, waiting for further updates.

Afghanistan is prone to a range of natural disasters, but its earthquakes cause the most fatalities, killing about 560 people on average each year and causing annual damages estimated at $80 million. Studies indicate at least 355 earthquakes with a magnitude higher than 5.0 have hit Afghanistan since 1990.

Afghanistan is located on the edge of the Eurasian tectonic plate, which shares a transgression zone with the Indian plate – implying the two may converge or brush past each other – and is also influenced by the Arabian plate to its south, creating one of the world’s most tectonically active regions.

The northward movement of the Indian plate and its thrust against the Eurasian plate is usually responsible for Afghanistan’s numerous quakes.

Eastern and northeastern Afghanistan, especially regions along its borders with Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Pakistan, are particularly prone to earthquakes.

This includes heavily populated Kabul, which has the highest average estimated damage due to earthquakes, amounting to $17 million every year, according to a study.

Earthquakes are also particularly dangerous in Afghanistan’s mountains where they can trigger landslides, exacerbating loss of life and property.

–IANS

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