Rights group urges Pakistan to stop what it says are arbitrary arrests of Afghan refugees

By RAHIM FAIEZ
Associated Press

ISLAMABAD (AP) — The international rights group Amnesty International is urging Pakistan’s government to stop what it describes as random arrest of Afghan refugees within Pakistan. The U.N. refugee agency says there are more than 3.7 million Afghans in Pakistan but only 1.4 million are formally registered. Amnesty called on Pakistan on Tuesday to “urgently stop arbitrarily arresting and harassing Afghan refugees and asylum seekers, many of whom are fleeing persecution by the Taliban.” The group also expressed concern about the vulnerable situation of Afghan refugees living in Pakistan. Authorities claim that police detain only those who enter the country without valid travel documents.