Key Findings
Nine Advice and Legal Aid Centres (ALAC) are operational in the main refugee-hosting areas of four provinces in order to provide free legal support to persons of concern: four in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), one in Sindh and three in Punjab and Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) through partnership agreements with SHARP and one in Baluchistan run by SEHER.
In January 2018, UNHCR and its partners provided legal assistance to a total of 3,354 persons of concern. During the month, UNHCR and its partners intervened at police stations for 141 arrested/detained persons of concern and secured the release of all. In the majority of all cases, UNHCR and its partners managed to obtain the release of the arrested refugees by Law Enforcement Agencies (LEAs) before the official lodging of charges against them which resulted in their release from detention within 24 hours. Additionally, ALAC partners provided court representations to 10 persons of concern.
Arrests and detentions of persons of concern decreased by 45% in the month of January 2018 as compared to the month of January 2017.
ALAC teams and the Ministry of SAFRON continue to take proactive steps to mitigate the risk of detention, including enhanced advocacy, pre-emptively intervening at police stations to prevent arrests and enhancing the response capacity of partners. UNHCR has developed and disseminated additional awareness raising material on legal assistance programs available for refugees (ALAC posters, brochures & use of social media).
Arrest and detentions in all provinces have increased slightly compared to December 2017 (83 arrested in the month of December 2017 whereas 151 arrested in January 2018). The increase is attributed to various factors, including short-term extension of validity of PoR cards and increased security checks in the country, particularly in the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (51%). PoR cards, which provide proof of legal stay for registered Afghan refugees, have been extended via official notification by the Government of Pakistan until the end of March 2018.
The Frontier Corps (FC) in Quetta undertook security operations that resulted in the apprehension of Afghans including registered Afghan refugees – at various check points in Quetta and surrounding areas. Among those arrested, both undocumented Afghans and 40 PoR cardholders were taken by the FC from Gulistan area in Qilla Abdullah district to the Chaman border and deported without due process. UNHCR requested the Ministry of SAFRON to raise the matter of refugees’ refoulement urgently with all relevant authorities and expressed its grave concern that the Frontier Corps and law enforcement agencies are not distinguishing between Afghan refugees registered by the government of Pakistan and other Afghan nationals. UNHCR and ALAC partners plan to reinforce their awareness sessions for FC and other law enforcement officials in Balochistan.