In the past three weeks, more than 100,000 Afghans have fled Pakistan as a result of the mass cancellation of residence permits that came into effect since April, the country's interior ministry revealed.
The ministry told news agency AFP that 100,529 Afghans have left the country so far this month.
This latest phase of this deportation campaign by the Pakistani government was launched on 1 April, labelling many Afghans as “terrorists and criminals,” and holding the Taliban-led government in Kabul responsible for a rise in cross-border attacks.
Analysts argue that the move is aimed at pressurising Afghanistan’s rulers, as Pakistan grapples with worsening security challenges along its frontier.
Since the deportations began, long convoys of families can been seen heading toward border crossings such as Torkham, many returning to a homeland they barely know.
“I was born in Pakistan and have never been to Afghanistan,” said 27-year-old Allah Rahman, who was waiting to cross the border. “I was afraid the police might humiliate me and my family. Now we’re heading back to Afghanistan out of sheer helplessness.”
Afghan Prime Minister Hasan Akhund strongly condemned Pakistan’s actions, calling them “unilateral measures,” in a statement issued after Pakistan’s foreign minister Ishaq Dar visited Kabul for talks. Akhund urged Islamabad to “facilitate the dignified return of Afghan refugees”.
Refugees and human rights groups have reported a surge in arbitrary arrests, harassment, and extortion targeting Afghans, especially in Punjab and Sindh provinces. While many are being forcibly expelled, others are choosing to leave voluntarily, fearing mistreatment or detention. The UN’s refugee agency (UNHCR) noted that in April alone, 12,948 Afghans were arrested or detained in Pakistan, which accounts for more than the total number for the entire previous year.
Pakistan’s border regions have come under increasing strain, particularly from attacks by separatists in Balochistan and by Pakistani Taliban fighters in the northwest. Last year marked the deadliest period for Pakistan in over a decade.
Millions of Afghans have taken refuge in Pakistan over the past 40 years, fleeing conflict and instability. But support for hosting them has waned, as Pakistan’s own economic and security problems deepen.
“They came here for refuge but ended up taking jobs, opening businesses. They took jobs from Pakistanis who are already struggling,” said Tanveer Ahmad, a 41-year-old barber in Islamabad.
The UNHCR revealed that more than half of those being deported are children. Many women and girls face an uncertain future in Afghanistan, where they are barred from secondary education and most employment.
A shopkeeper speaking anonymously said, “Afghans take on jobs Pakistanis consider shameful, like collecting garbage.”
“Who will do that after they are gone?”
In the first phase of returns in 2023, hundreds of thousands of undocumented Afghans were forced across the border in the space of a few weeks. Under the second phase of the campaign announced in March, more than 800,000 Afghans with legal residence had their permits cancelled and warned thousands more awaiting relocation to other countries to leave by the end of April.
The ministry told news agency AFP that 100,529 Afghans have left the country so far this month.
This latest phase of this deportation campaign by the Pakistani government was launched on 1 April, labelling many Afghans as “terrorists and criminals,” and holding the Taliban-led government in Kabul responsible for a rise in cross-border attacks.
Analysts argue that the move is aimed at pressurising Afghanistan’s rulers, as Pakistan grapples with worsening security challenges along its frontier.
Since the deportations began, long convoys of families can been seen heading toward border crossings such as Torkham, many returning to a homeland they barely know.
“I was born in Pakistan and have never been to Afghanistan,” said 27-year-old Allah Rahman, who was waiting to cross the border. “I was afraid the police might humiliate me and my family. Now we’re heading back to Afghanistan out of sheer helplessness.”
Afghan Prime Minister Hasan Akhund strongly condemned Pakistan’s actions, calling them “unilateral measures,” in a statement issued after Pakistan’s foreign minister Ishaq Dar visited Kabul for talks. Akhund urged Islamabad to “facilitate the dignified return of Afghan refugees”.
Refugees and human rights groups have reported a surge in arbitrary arrests, harassment, and extortion targeting Afghans, especially in Punjab and Sindh provinces. While many are being forcibly expelled, others are choosing to leave voluntarily, fearing mistreatment or detention. The UN’s refugee agency (UNHCR) noted that in April alone, 12,948 Afghans were arrested or detained in Pakistan, which accounts for more than the total number for the entire previous year.
Pakistan’s border regions have come under increasing strain, particularly from attacks by separatists in Balochistan and by Pakistani Taliban fighters in the northwest. Last year marked the deadliest period for Pakistan in over a decade.
Millions of Afghans have taken refuge in Pakistan over the past 40 years, fleeing conflict and instability. But support for hosting them has waned, as Pakistan’s own economic and security problems deepen.
“They came here for refuge but ended up taking jobs, opening businesses. They took jobs from Pakistanis who are already struggling,” said Tanveer Ahmad, a 41-year-old barber in Islamabad.
The UNHCR revealed that more than half of those being deported are children. Many women and girls face an uncertain future in Afghanistan, where they are barred from secondary education and most employment.
A shopkeeper speaking anonymously said, “Afghans take on jobs Pakistanis consider shameful, like collecting garbage.”
“Who will do that after they are gone?”
In the first phase of returns in 2023, hundreds of thousands of undocumented Afghans were forced across the border in the space of a few weeks. Under the second phase of the campaign announced in March, more than 800,000 Afghans with legal residence had their permits cancelled and warned thousands more awaiting relocation to other countries to leave by the end of April.
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