Richard Bennett, the UN special rapporteur on human rights in Afghanistan, on Tuesday urged Pakistan to suspend its planned deportations of Afghans in the wake of a powerful earthquake that killed more than 1,400 people in eastern Afghanistan.
Bennett said in a post on X that Pakistan should instead focus on supporting humanitarian efforts in quake-hit areas. “This would be the action of a compassionate neighbor and is the urgent priority,” he wrote.
Pakistan has expelled hundreds of thousands of Afghans over the past year, many of them undocumented migrants, former government employees, rights activists and security personnel who fear persecution under Taliban rule. The UN and rights groups have repeatedly warned that deportees face risks of detention, torture or death after returning to Afghanistan.
The call comes as rescue operations continue in Kunar province, where Taliban authorities say more than 1,400 people were killed and more than 3,000 injured when a 6.1-magnitude earthquake struck late Sunday. Thousands of homes were destroyed, leaving families homeless and hospitals overwhelmed.
