Mustafa Kazimi
ZARANJ - "My father and mother had gone to an invitation; police of Iran came to our house and deported us through the way of Nimrooz."
These are the sad words of Noorbashee, 9, that according to her claim she has been expelled from Iran along with her 3 years old sister, now they are living with difficult situation in a camp in the frontier region of Nimrooz Province that doesn't any thing except for burning desert and sand storms.
While Noorbashee was crying, she told to PAN that one week back, they were expelled from Zahidaan city of Iran and another expelled family helped them.
This little girl talks about the circumstance of their force out: "They throw me and my little sister in a truck, where there were other people too, and we were very frightened and they took us to camp of Zabul and there Iranians were beating every body and an old man accepted us as his children and the Iranians also beat this old man. Then we came to the border and a taxi brought us here freely."
This little child claimed that she knows no body in this camp and doesn't know what to do!
Not only Noorbashee perhaps there are also other refugees who have been forced out from different regions of Iran but a number of their family members are left there.
Fazila 5, who has been forced out of Iranshaher Province of Iran, says that another expelled family is looking after her in Nimrooz camp.
While there were tears in the eyes of Fazila, she said: "I don't have any news about my father and mother and I don't any body here."
Rahima 3, who also has been forced out of Zabul Province of Iran, is being took cared by another family. She has the same of situation of Fazila and knows no body here.
Rahima with her childish language says: "I want my fathel (father) and mothel (mother)."
There are large numbers of deported families whose children, wife or other family member has been left in Iran while police of Iran has brutally deported to Nimrooz Province of Afghanistan.
Noor Ahmad Akbari, one of these families, claims that he has been forced out from Asfahan city of Iran but doesn't have any news about his rest family members.
He stated: "My child is drinking milk but I don't know about his mother, he is cry all day and night and don't know how calm my kid."
These expelled kids with tens of other families are living without shelter and in difficult and intolerable situation in a sandy and stormy desert located 3 kms far from Zaranj capital of Nimrooz Province.
One of the national businessmen is providing food for them.
Haji Ghulam Arab, an Afghan businessman, says that he provides food and bread every day for the refugees who live here, but their situation is bad and need the help of others.
Muhammad Riza, in charge of this camp, expresses his concerns about the situation of refugees and says that a number of refugees are coming to this camp every day, some of them who have better situation move to their native provinces and those who don't have money or their family members are left in Iran, stay in the camp.
Aged people can also be seen amongst these expelled refugees who are finding food and water difficultly for themselves without any guardian and fate.
Abdul Kareem 110, an aged man and blind from both eyes, due to lack of shelter he is sleeping on the road of frontier region of Nimrooz, says: "Whoever has caused us to have this situation, one day will have the same situation of ours."
He is complainant due to lack of shelter, government's aid and said: "We voted for Karzai to be in our service, not to make our situation like this."
Also the situation of those refugees who forced out of Iran border towards Nimrooz Province is worse and painful.
One of these expellees is Shah Bibi 100, a widow from Heart Province, who has been expelled from Shiraz city of Iran along with her neighbor and doesn't know what will happen to her future.
This widow that has crossed Iran border towards Nimrooz two days back along with tens of other families, claimed: "My brother is only with me, my four daughters and my grand children are left in Iran, I had never experienced this kind of cruelty in my who life."
While Shah Bibi was speaking with difficulty, said that she has heart problem and asthma, since last two days she hasn't got any medicine and except for almighty god she doesn't has hope that somebody else will help them.
Said Ahmad, an aged man, claims that he was forced out of Iran towards Nimrooz Province during night while his son and daughter were out of house and he doesn't have any news about them until now.
He explained how he was force out of Iran and said: "It was 6 o'clock in the evening, my son and daughter had gone to market to buy bread, suddenly there were voices in courtyard, when I came out of my house, I saw that policemen had gathered and they put the gun on my forehead to leave the house, I told them many times that my kids are out but they didn't paid attention and beat me. I and my other family members were forced to come out the home and leave Iran."
Also there are many refugees who were working in Iran and their money is left with factory and other industrial centers' owners.
Ali Ahmad, one of these workers, is saying that his Afs.700,000 (US$14,000) is left with other people in Iran, but the security authorities of Iran didn't give him the chance to collect his money.
He lives in the camp of Nimrooz and said: "Now I don't have even that much money to go to my home in Kabul!"
Most of the refugees who been forced out of Iran, have also lots of problems while carrying their luggage in the border.
Aysha, an 80 years lady, says: "My husband has died, I brought my luggage to Nimrooz very difficultly, I have no one to help me and there are only small kids who are lifting these heavy boxes and sacs."
In the zero point of Nimrooz, the expelled refugees told to PNA that one of the Iranian drivers had fight with a frontier solider of Nimrooz, and after that Iran is not allowing the Afghani vehicles to enter Iran and carry the luggage of people to Afghanistan.
Said Qandahari, one of the expellees, says: "Our loads are heavy and Iran isn't allowing vehicles to enter and we are compelled to carry our boxes on our shoulders to Nimrooz."
Dost Muhammad, director of securing rights in Nimrooz Directorate of Returning of Refugees, says that an average of 10 to 15 families are expelled out of Iran to Nimrooz daily.
According to him, since the start of process of expelling refugees (24th April 2007), more than 40,000 people have been deported through Nimrooz.
While members of provincial assembly of Nimrooz are criticizing the position of Iran and her police's violent behavior with the refugees.
Mullah Gul Ahmad, deputy head of provincial assembly of Nimrooz, said: "Iran claims that we are taking care of neighborhood goodness, but what kind of neighborhood goodness is the disgracing of Afghan Refugees?"
He asked the government of Iran to stop illegal forcing out of refugees so Afghan government can adopt a series of readiness for them.
According to the three-sided resolution amongst Afghanistan, Iran and UNHCR the process of returning of legal refugees in Iran, should be done gradually, voluntarily, with dignity and respectably.
The expulsion of refugees from Iran has been started since the end of April 2007 and according to last survey of UNHCR, approximately 50,000 refugees have been deported to Afghanistan until now.
Muhammad Nadir Ferhad, spokesman of UNHCR, some times back had told to PNA that the process of expulsion of refugees has been decreased compared to past.
He added that in start, 50 families were forced out of Iran daily, while during these last days this number has decreased 35 families.
But recently deputy minister of Interior Ministry of Iran announced that the number of expelled refugees has arrived to 85,000.
Abdul Haq Utaid, spokesman and director of publications of Ministry of Refugees' Affairs of Afghanistan, called the false behavior with Afghan refugees during their expulsion from Iran a false act and against human rights, and told to PNA: "We request the government of Iran to conduct the process of returning of refugees slowly and with dignity and indecent behavior shouldn't be done against the returning refugees."
He added that if this process continued like this, a big tragedy will occur and the government doesn't has the ability of absorbing the big mass of refugees.
But Muhammad Riza Bahrami, ambassador of Islamic Republic of Iran in Kabul, told to PNA that currently the process of expulsion of refugees is going on gradually but it will continue.
About the violent behavior of police of Iran with Afghan refugees, Mr. Bahrami said: "My colleagues are investigating about this issue and if such act has taken place, we take legal action against such acts."
He added: "Actually, we don't want to create problem for the people of Afghanistan, but we have also problems with illegal refugees and people of Afghanistan, who are our old friend, should understand our problem."
According to information of ambassador of Iran, right now most of the illegal refugees whose number reaches to one million are living in Iran without permission.
According to him, 900,000 legal refugees are living in Iran now and they have created lots of problems for the government of Iran.
According to him, in the year 2006 about two hundred thousand Afghans entered Iran for short time, but 80% of them is still haven't returned and are living there illegally.
Bahrami says: "Right now, Afghanistan needs more cooperation inside her own land and we are ready to help Afghan people inside their own country."
According to ambassador of Islamic Republic of Iran, those people who have legal refugee papers, aren't included in the program of expulsion of refugees and the actions will be taken against them according to decision by the three-sided commission of Afghanistan, Iran and UNHCR.
While in the current week the issue of expulsion of refugees was discussed in the meeting of cabinet headed by President Hamid Karzai.
The parliament also called the situation of deported refugees pitiful in their meeting on 7th May 2007 and asked for the plan of national strategy for the refugees.
The issue of expulsion of refugees was so much hot that in the current week the ministers of Refugees' Affairs and Foreign Affairs were called and their post were taken from them.