LAHORE, Feb 11: The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan has criticized the arrest of hundreds of Afghan refugees in Islamabad under the Foreigners Act, urging the authorities not to ignore the demands of law in their pursuit of security.

In a statement issued here on Tuesday, HRCP secretary-general Hina Jilani and Punjab vice-chairperson Salima Hashmi said the reported arrest of nearly 350 refugees, mostly Afghans, appeared to be a case of abuse of law and executive authority.

They said the application of the Foreigners Act on Afghan refugees a quarter century after they were welcomed in Pakistan amounted to a mockery of law.

The government’s concern at the possible presence of subversive elements among the refugees could not be questioned and it might have reasons to worry about security more in Islamabad than in settlements of ordinary citizens elsewhere in the country, but all actions must fall within the law, they said.

They said the tendency to justify unlawful acts in the name of security could in no circumstances be condoned. There will be nothing wrong in asking the refugees to return to the places designated for their temporary stay in Pakistan and await repatriation. They should not be deprived of their liberty and exposed to severe hardships they did not deserve, they said.