Nowhere to Turn: The Grim Ordeal of Afghan Refugees in Pakistan

By Shinwari 

Over the past months, the lives of Afghan refugees in Pakistan have been plunged into chaos, fear, and uncertainty. In a sweeping and controversial deportation campaign, Pakistan has begun expelling hundreds of thousands of Afghans under what it calls a repatriation plan. Human rights organizations, refugee advocates, and the international community have condemned the initiative as a flagrant violation of human rights and international protection obligations.

For many Afghans, Pakistan was a haven from decades of turmoil. Following the Taliban’s resurgence in 2021, tens of thousands fled across the border, seeking safety from persecution, political instability, and violence. Pakistan has historically hosted one of the world’s largest Afghan refugee populations, with some families residing there for generations. But recent policies have shattered any sense of sanctuary.

The government originally announced March 31, 2025, as the deadline for undocumented Afghans to leave voluntarily or face forced expulsion. Though briefly extended to April 10 for the Eid holidays, the revised date offered little respite. Authorities remain determined to clear out nearly 3 million Afghans by year’s end, with little concern for their fate once back under Taliban rule.

The crackdown has disproportionately affected holders of Afghan Citizen Cards (ACC), temporary documentation lacking legal protection from deportation. While holders of UN-issued Proof of Registration (PoR) cards are theoretically shielded until June, families are often split between the two statuses. As a result, households are being torn apart. One man, facing imminent deportation, said he could not comprehend leaving behind his PoR-holding wife and children: “Who will care for them if I am sent away?”

In refugee camps like Jalala, northwest of Islamabad, thousands brace for forced removal. For many residents, Pakistan is the only home they have ever known. Their dwellings, built over decades, resemble established communities, complete with schools and markets. “I’m in 11th grade,” one student said, “and this deportation will destroy my education. I’ve never even seen Afghanistan.”

The authorities have set up a holding facility in Peshawar’s Landi Kotal area, anticipating the mass influx of displaced families. Though currently unoccupied, the facility’s very existence is a stark reminder of the state’s militarized approach to what is essentially a humanitarian crisis.

Human rights observers describe the treatment of Afghan refugees as both discriminatory and dehumanizing. Arbitrary arrests, harassment by local police, and extortion have become alarmingly routine. Even individuals with valid documents report being targeted. Ethnic profiling, particularly of Pashtuns, further compounds their vulnerability.

The psychological toll is immense. Artists, journalists, and women’s rights defenders – many of whom fled Taliban persecution – now face the prospect of being sent back to the very threat they once escaped. For these individuals, return is not merely relocation; it is a potential death sentence. “If I go back, I will be killed,” said a female musician whose performances were banned by the Taliban. “I have no place in their world.”

Despite calls from the United Nations and advocacy groups to halt the deportations, the Pakistani government remains unmoved. The UNHCR has underscored that returning refugees to danger zones contravenes international law, particularly the principle of non-refoulement. Yet, official statements continue to frame the campaign as a matter of national security, rather than a humanitarian issue.

To date, over 900,000 Afghans have already been sent back. Many arrive in Afghanistan to nothing—no homes, no jobs, no support. The country itself is in crisis, grappling with food insecurity, an economic meltdown, and the systematic erasure of civil liberties under Taliban rule. The mass return of refugees has only compounded these challenges.

Amid this grim backdrop, approximately 40,000 Afghans are still hoping for third-country resettlement, having applied for asylum in Western nations due to their affiliations with NATO or other foreign missions. Yet the process is slow, and the danger is immediate.

The deportation campaign has also reignited debates about Pakistan’s obligations as a host country. While Islamabad has borne a heavy refugee burden for decades with limited international support, the current approach reflects a deeply troubling shift from compassion to coercion.

As global attention fluctuates, the fate of Afghan refugees remains precarious. International actors must ramp up pressure on Pakistan to uphold refugee protections and halt the deportations. The time for statements has passed—what is now needed is decisive diplomatic and humanitarian action.

In the words of one displaced refugee: “We are not criminals. We are just people trying to survive.”

Author chooses a single pseudonym. Shinwari is a freelance journalist based in Peshawar, Pakistan. 

Note: The contents of the article are of sole responsibility of the author. Afghan Diaspora Network will not be responsible for any inaccurate or incorrect statement in the articles.