Pakistan imposes $830 fee on refugees seeking to depart

Pakistan has confirmed that it will charge an $830 fee to undocumented refugees who want to leave the country. This fee applies to people who arrived in Pakistan without a visa. In October, Pakistan announced its plan to deport 1.7 million undocumented foreigners from the country if they did not leave by 1 November. The majority of these undocumented foreigners are Afghans, including hundreds of thousands of individuals who fled Afghanistan when the Taliban regained power in 2021. Those with expired visas will be charged based on the length of their overstay. However, an exit fee does not apply to those traveling back to Afghanistan. Many Afghan refugees who arrived in Pakistan following the fall of Kabul to the Taliban have faced difficulties obtaining the necessary documentation, according to organizations like Amnesty International. It is important to note that Pakistan is not a signatory to the Refugee Convention and does not officially recognize any of the Afghans living within its borders as refugees. A senior Pakistani diplomat expressed concerns about charging this fee, particularly when it is being applied to people who have been relocated on humanitarian grounds. They emphasized that charging those with humanitarian visas, especially individuals who have worked for organizations like UNHCR and are seen to have a humanitarian need, sets a troubling precedent. The diplomat mentioned that there are early indications that the government may review this policy. However, the Pakistan authorities did not discuss the possibility of a review with the BBC. The UNHCR is working to resolve the issue and advocating for the exemption of refugees from these requirements. They acknowledge that the Government and people of Pakistan have a commendable history of providing asylum and protection to Afghan refugees, and they urge for this support to continue. A spokesperson for Pakistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs defended the imposition of fines, stating that Pakistani laws, like those in other countries such as the United Kingdom, have fines and punishments for individuals who overstay their visas or violate immigration laws. They claim that any fines imposed by Pakistan are in line with their laws.