Pakistan Plans to Expel All Afghan Refugees: Embassy

Pakistan intends to expel its entire Afghan refugee population, according to the Afghan embassy in Islamabad, which issued a warning on February 19. The embassy stated that Afghan nationals in Islamabad and Rawalpindi are facing increased arrests, searches, and police orders to leave the twin cities. These actions, the embassy said, began without prior formal announcements or official communication to the Afghan Embassy.

"While the process started informally, Pakistani officials have confirmed that there is a definitive plan to expel all Afghan refugees from the entire country," the embassy added.

In addition to the hundreds of thousands of undocumented Afghans, around 1.45 million Afghan nationals are registered with the UNHCR as refugees. Those registered with the UNHCR had their stay extended until June 2025, and they will not face arrest or deportation until that period expires.

The Pakistani government has yet to comment on the matter.

This development comes shortly after Pakistan threatened to deport Afghan nationals residing illegally in the country. Prime Minister Sharif also approved the deportation of Afghan nationals awaiting relocation to third countries unless their cases are quickly processed by the relevant governments.

The Afghan embassy expressed concerns over the mass expulsion of refugees and the unilateral nature of Pakistan's decision, emphasizing that the process is being carried out on an expedited timeline. Pakistan has set a deadline of March 31 to expel Afghan refugees from Islamabad and Rawalpindi, in preparation for their deportation if they are not relocated to countries that had agreed to accept them after the Taliban’s takeover in 2021.

Over the past three years, tens of thousands of Afghans have fled to Pakistan, many seeking resettlement in the United States under a program for those at risk due to their work with the U.S. government, media, aid agencies, and human rights groups. However, the U.S. refugee program was paused last month by President Donald Trump, leaving around 20,000 Afghans in limbo in Pakistan.

Since October 2023, many Afghans have faced harassment and arrest as Pakistan cracks down on foreigners residing illegally. Although the government claimed the crackdown was not aimed specifically at Afghans, they constitute the majority of the undocumented foreigners in the country. Over 800,000 Afghan nationals have been deported or forced to leave under a voluntary repatriation plan.

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) reported an uptick in Afghan deportations, noting a 13% increase in returns from January 16 to 31 compared to earlier in the month. Since 2023, more than 824,000 Afghans have returned to Afghanistan.