PESHAWAR: The Afghan Taliban have expressed concern over the detention and alleged mistreatment of Afghan nationals in Pakistan and asked the relevant authorities to stop the police and security officials from harassing refugees.

In a statement posted on their website, the Afghan Taliban alleged that Pakistani security agencies had detained and abused Afghan immigrants in various provinces of the country, especially in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, though they had ‘no link with the security issues.’

They warned that the continued targeting of Afghans would cause ‘enmity’ between Afghanistan and Pakistan.

The Afghan Taliban said security agencies had been conducting operations and investigations in Pakistan’s various provinces, particularly Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, since last month.

“All nations have the right to conduct investigations within its territory without exception but unfortunately throughout the last month in Pakistan, many Afghan muhajireen (immigrants) have been detained and mistreated who have no link with the security issues; rather for the past three decades, they have lived in Pakistan peacefully and many of them have legal documents for their stay,” the website quoted the Afghan Taliban as saying.

The law-enforcement agencies have begun a crackdown on unregistered Afghan nationals across the country after the militant attack on the Army Public School and College Peshawar on December 16 last year, which left 150 students and staff members dead.

The police suspect involvement of Afghan nationals in crimes. Currently, Pakistan hosts 1.6 million registered Afghan refugees, who can stay in the country until December 2015.

“We must say that the people of Afghanistan and Pakistan are strongly bonded through Muslim brotherhood. Also, they share cultural and historical ties. It is in the mutual interest of both nations to further strengthen these bonds,” said the Afghan Taliban in the statement.

They said in the past, the presence of millions of Afghans in Pakistan had fostered brotherliness and mutual sympathy in both nations and if they were needlessly mistreated, then it would create enmity between the two nations.

“For this reason, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan asks Pakistan authorities to restrain those police and security officials wantonly mistreating these muhajireen. Those detained muhajireen should be released as soon as possible so that they can return to their normal lives and ensure that no further innocent muhajireen are detained or mistreated,” they said.

Published in Dawn January 31st, 2015

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