Angelina Jolie criticized Pakistan’s recent actions to forcibly remove Afghan refugees, labeling it as a “new tragedy” for the Afghan people.

In the wake of a nationwide crackdown on illegal immigrants, thousands of Afghans have departed from Pakistan since September 2023.

Islamabad’s concerns over security threats and economic challenges have led to this mass exodus, prompting many Afghans to express grievances about being harassed by authorities despite holding valid documentation permitting their stay in Pakistan.

For more than two decades, Jolie, a renowned American actress recognized for her vocal advocacy on social matters, devoted her efforts to the UN Refugee Agency.

Her tenure included roles as a Goodwill Ambassador from 2001 to 2012, followed by serving as a special envoy from 2012 to 2022.

“Pakistan has been a supporter for many Afghan refugee families for decades,” Jolie wrote Instagram on Monday. “I am saddened they would so abruptly push back refugees who face the impossible realities of trying to survive in today’s Afghanistan, where women have again been deprived of all rights and the possibility of education, many are being imprisoned, and there is a deep humanitarian crisis.”

Jolie characterized the expulsion of Afghan refugees as “yet another example of the backsliding in human rights globally,” deeming it a fresh tragedy for the Afghan populace.

She lamented the situation, saying that it is a new tragedy for the people of Afghanistan. “People who have experienced nothing but war and conflict and displacement for over forty years, and are being abandoned by the world after all the promises that were made of a better future for the Afghan people,” she added.

For decades, Pakistan has provided refuge to millions of Afghans, many of whom sought safety during the Soviet occupation from 1979 to 1989. Over half a million fled following the Taliban’s recent takeover, as reported by the UN Refugee Agency.

The decision by Pakistan to deport undocumented Afghan residents has sparked disapproval from Afghanistan and intensified tensions between the two nations.

The government led by the Taliban in Afghanistan has contested Pakistan’s allegations of Afghan citizens engaging in militant actions and organized criminal activities within Pakistan.

Global human rights organizations have urged Pakistan to guarantee that the repatriation of Afghan refugees back to their country occurs willingly and under secure conditions.

Published in The Daily National Courier, November, 15 2023

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