In a tit-for-tat to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) police action against unregistered Afghan refugees in and around Peshawar, Kabul police and Afghan National Army (ANA) recently carried out a crackdown on Pakistani nationals at several places in Afghanistan especially in Kabul city where they were working in different capacities without legal documents. They were allegedly apprehended and deported to Pakistan.

Arsala Khan, 40, resident of Sarband area of Peshawar, who had been working as assistant cook in a hotel in Kabul Shar-e-Nau locality, was deported two months ago to Pakistan along with his eight colleagues when Aghan National Army raided their hotel.

“We were asleep at one night when some masked Afghan armed personnel entered our room, began abusing us being Pakistanis and then took us to a police station and ordered us to leave Kabul as we were not having legal documents.

“I have spent two years there but nobody had questioned our stay. Our owner had taken our responsibility but later we were told that the action had been taken in retaliation to KP police action against Afghan refugees on different pretexts in Peshawar,” narrated Mr Khan.

It is a common observation that whenever an announcement regarding Afghan refugee’s voluntary repatriation appears in media, the KP police began teasing Afghan nationals, both registered and unregistered, on various pretexts.

The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Home department has issued directives to KP police not to mistreat Afghan refugees carrying UNHCR cards issued by Afghan Commissionrate. “I have been arrested by Peshawar Police three times on different occasions. I showed my Afghan Citizen card –POR (Proof of the Registration) to the police authorities but they did not leave me until I greased their palms with Rs5000 each time,” said Rahman Gul, an Afghan refugee residing in Peshatakhara area in Peshawar.

Hundreds and thousands of Pakistanis are working in Afghanistans different cities with local and international donor agencies and firms.  They include professionals, doctors, engineers,  constructors, teachers,  journalists and labourers and most were having no problem regarding their stay in the war-torn country a few years ago but in recent times individuals  being deported to Pakistan tell stories of humiliation at the hands of the  Afghan police in Kabul, Kandahar,  Jalalabad and other cities of Afghanistan.  Pakistani nationals are looked upon with suspicion, interrogated and are being kept under close observation by Afghan National Army especially in Kabul.

Waqar Maroof, Additional Commissioner Afghan Commissionerate told Dawn: “In fact we had taken up this issue with KP Home Department after we received several complaints from Afghan Refugees holding POR card.

“There are 1.1 million Afghan refugees still living in 29 Administrated Cluster refugees camps in KP. Under UNCHR programme we cannot repatriate them by force. We hope that more Afghans will return to their homeland before expiry of the POR cards in December this year.”

According to KP police sources 60 per cent unregistered Afghan refugees are involved in different crimes including terrorist’s activities, murder, kidnapping, theft, car lifting and street crimes.

Recently a judge of Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) in Peshawar had issued directives to the Afghan Commissionerate to file crime reports of the Afghan refugees especially of those cases in which both the accuser and accused are Afghans to him instead of a nearby police station adding that the criminals had no right to stay under the status of refugees who violate the law of the host land.

Mohammad Arif Shafi, resident of Peshawar who is working as an assistant editor with noted Kabul based Afghan News Agency—Pajwak-- told this reporter that media’s posture of Pakistan is not commendable in Afghanistan and it is adversely affecting Pakistani nationals.

He said: “Almost all Pakistanis were left speechless during their visits to Afghanistan when their hosts complain about Pakistani police’s attitude towards Afghan nationals as some elements in our police department have unfortunately earned bad name for our country.

“Similarly, every Afghan with or without legal documents after visiting Peshawar comes up with a new woeful story of maltreatment by KP police which I think should be stopped.”

Besides, a storm of disinformation was poured into Afghan media against alleged shelling from Pakistani side without Islamabads version, he said adding   as a result a common Afghan presumes that Pakistan is an enemy country.

“Once I was picked up in Kabul by some Afghan police, although I was carrying my legal papers, and was released only on confirmation from my chief editor,” Mr Shafi said.

The need of the hour is that both Islamabad and Kabul join hands to improve law and order and facilitate each other’s nationals that would help further cement mutual ties and root out militancy from the region, said Muhammad Arif Shafi.

The anti-Pakistan sentiments in Kabul are getting high with the passage of time and most political analysts suggest that Islamabad should take serious notice of the situation.

Dr Khan Bahadar and Dr Janwali, two young doctors hailing from Mathra area of Peshawar, were deported a month ago by Afghan National Army on the basis of suspicion. They were running a private medical clinic in Kabul.

“One day, we were in our clinic when two men in uniform came and asked us to show documents.  After a while they ordered us to pack up without telling us any reason. When we enquired about our fault, they only told us, have ever we asked KP police why they were mistreating Afghan nationals in Peshawar,” they elaborated.

When a police official in Jalalabad contacted, he told Dawn on condition of anonymity: “I don’t think any such thing is on agenda of Afghan police, it depends on the situation and person to person.  The main concern of police whether in Peshawar or Kabul is to maintain law and order and to give protection to life and property of the people.   I am born and bred in Pakistan, my family members are still living in Peshawar.”