Pakistan: Afghan cleric shot dead amid growing violence against refugees

Peshawar [Pakistan], October 5 (ANI): An Afghan cleric was shot dead by unidentified gunmen in Pakistan's Peshawar, according to police, Khaama Press reported.

This comes amid the rising tensions as Afghan refugees face deportations and harassment in Pakistan.

Khaama Press reported that police identified the victim as Adam Khan, an Afghan Imam from Paktia province, who was attacked while returning home on his motorcycle near the Raza Khan Maryamzai Mosque. He died instantly, according to the officers.

While investigators have collected evidence from the scene and launched a probe, no group has claimed responsibility for the killing. A police officer told reporters that the motive remains unclear. At the same time, the residents said that refugees in Raza Khan Maryamzai are facing mounting fear and uncertainty as Pakistan continues a relentless crackdown and deportation campaign on Afghans.

According to Khaama Press, the killing of the Afghan cleric has deepened tensions between the refugee Afghan community and local authorities. Observers have warned that continued hostility and forced returns could further destabilise the already fragile humanitarian situation along the Afghanistan-Pakistan frontier.

Khaama Press highlighted that rights organisations and UN agencies have accused Pakistani authorities of forcibly deporting thousands of Afghans, many of whom fled Taliban rule. Several reports have emerged of harassment, arbitrary arrests, and mistreatment in detention of Afghans that have drawn international condemnation.

Several deportees have told aid groups about how they were beaten, extorted, or stripped of belongings before being sent across the border. Despite such violations, Pakistan says the repatriations target only undocumented migrants and insists the process is lawful.

The United Nations has urged Islamabad to suspend deportations and guarantee protection for refugees, saying many face grave risks if returned to Taliban-controlled Afghanistan, Khaama Press highlighted.

Pakistani security forces have shut down several long-standing Afghan refugee camps in Balochistan, displacing thousands of residents and demolishing their homes and shops, Tolo News reported.

It further noted that more than 13,500 Afghans, including hundreds of former prisoners, have crossed back through Spin Boldak in just the last five days, highlighting the scale of forced deportations.

Authorities have said that the sudden influx has created an urgent demand for humanitarian aid. (ANI)

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