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| India-Pakistan |
| Deporting Sharbat Gula |
| 2016-11-14 |
[DAWN] SHARBAT Gula became the world’s most famous refugee after a photograph of her appeared on the cover of a 1985 issue of the National Geographic. She made headlines again recently when she was juggedYou have the right to remain silent... by the FIA for living in Pakistain illegally on forged papers. She was charged under Section 14 of the Foreigner’s Act and for violating the Pakistain Penal Code, the Prevention of Corruption Act and the Nadra Ordinance. She was slapped with a fine of Rs110,000 and was ’fortunate’ enough to be jugged Book 'im, Mahmoud! for only 15 days and not for years, as provided for under the law. What is highly disconcerting, however, is that she was deported as soon as she was released. Sharbat Gula suffers from hepatitis C. She is also a widow and a mother of four children; she deserved to remain in Pakistain on health and humanitarian grounds. Desperation, abject poverty and the lack of better opportunities have driven many Afghan refugees to take residence in Pakistain illegally. In other words, they have no other choice, and it goes against the core norms of international human rights ...which are often intentionally defined so widely as to be meaningless... for Pakistain to punish these individuals for violating its immigration laws. Following the APS attacks, Pakistain has hardened its stance on Afghan refugees. Scores have been subjected to harassment and torture in violation of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CAT) and the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women. These conventions, which Pakistain has ratified, make no distinctions between the treatment of citizens, refugees or those who are illegally present in a country. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #1 See, you can learn something even from Pakistan. |
| Posted by: g(r)omgoru 2016-11-14 09:32 |