Emergency in Imran Khan’s bastion, fresh fears for Afghan returnees in Pakistan
Afghan nationals recently deported from Pakistan have reported a rise in arbitrary detentions, midnight raids on homes and financial extortion in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, following the military-backed Shehbaz Sharif government’s imposition of governor’s rule and a state of emergency in the province, as news agency ANI cited TOLO News report.
Returnees said daily life had become increasingly difficult, with Pakistani police frequently searching their homes and restricting their freedom of movement. Several deportees alleged that they were being detained on flimsy pretexts and that law enforcement personnel were demanding bribes in exchange for their release.
Mohammad Rahman, an Afghan returnee, told TOLO News that his family had moved from Punjab to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa during former Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan’s tenure in search of better living conditions. However, he said the situation had deteriorated sharply after Islamabad declared an emergency and imposed governor’s rule, leaving refugees afraid to step outside for fear of arbitrary arrest and extortion. The Munir-Sharif duo imposed a state of emergency and governor’s rule in Pakistan’s northwestern province, a stronghold of jailed former PM Imran Khan’s party, PTI.