Afghan Refugees Deported from Pakistan Despite UN Plea for Humane Return
Pakistan has begun deporting registered Afghan refugees ahead of its official September 1 deadline, raising alarm among international observers and human rights groups, reported by The Express Tribune. The move could see more than one million Afghans forced out of the country, many of whom have lived there for decades.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) confirmed reports of arrests and deportations of legally documented Afghans between August 1 and 4. Among those affected are refugees holding Proof of Registration (PoR) cards and Afghan Citizen Cards—documents long recognized by Islamabad.
“Such massive and hasty returns risk endangering the lives and freedoms of Afghan refugees,” UNHCR warned in a strongly worded statement. “We urge the Pakistani government to halt the forced repatriations and ensure any return is voluntary, gradual, and carried out with dignity.”
Despite those appeals, a directive from Pakistan’s Interior Ministry—seen by Reuters—ordered that voluntary returns commence immediately. The formal deportation process, according to the government, will begin after the deadline.
However, UNHCR spokesperson Qaisar Khan Afridi stated that hundreds of legally registered Afghans have already been expelled. Aid agencies fear these actions violate Pakistan’s obligations under international humanitarian law, and could trigger widespread instability both in Afghanistan and across the region.
Pakistan is home to over 2 million Afghan nationals, including more than 1.3 million registered refugees who fled waves of conflict since the 1980s. Many were born and raised in Pakistan, with no connection to modern-day Afghanistan—now under Taliban rule.
Islamabad has defended the move as part of its broader “Illegal Foreigners Repatriation Plan,” initiated in late 2023. Officials argue that the presence of Afghan nationals—particularly undocumented ones—has contributed to security and economic challenges, and that only Afghans with valid visas will be allowed to stay.
Afghanistan’s government has condemned the deportations as forced and discriminatory, while aid organizations warn the country is ill-prepared to absorb the returnees. Simultaneously, Iran has ramped up deportations of Afghans, compounding the humanitarian crisis.
With winter months approaching and Afghanistan’s economy in free fall, the sudden wave of repatriation threatens to plunge millions into deeper desperation—while testing the resolve of a fragile region already under strain.
