The Plight of Afghan Refugees Incarcerated in Central Prison, Karachi This report was prepared by NCHR and the Committee for the Welfare of Prisoners following an on-site visit to Karachi Central Jail on Human Rights Day – regarding the status of Afghan women and their children who are being held at the facility. The Sindh Government recently conducted a combing operation detaining Afghans who did not enter the country legally to clamp down on illegal border crossings. As a result of the operation, Karachi Central Prison holds hundreds of Afghan women and children, and is operating above capacity. Report findings show that even though the Afghans have been lawfully detained – as they do not possess a Proof of Registration (PoR) card nor an Afghan Citizen Card (ACC), prison life can be hard. A majority of the women had children and, when interviewed, requested to be allowed to return back home. NCHR urged the government to resolve their detainment issues by invoking Sec 14 (B) of the Foreigners Act. The report stated that it was not necessary under Sec 14 (B) to keep the prisoners incarcerated till the completion of their sentences but that they could be return back pending trial or undergoing their sentence of imprisonment. The report gained traction amongst the government and the media and on NCHR’s subsequent visit to the jail, majority of the women and children had been voluntarily sent back home. Impact of Report:  Marked improvement in the situation of Afghan women and children in the jail as over 100 Afghan women voluntarily returned home. On left: NCHR’s first visit to Central Prison, Karachi On Right: NCHR’s follow-up visit after the publication of report and return of Afghan prisoners 25