Millions of Afghan Refugees in Pakistan Set To Be Deported
Pakistan is set to deport millions of Afghans refugees as the Proof of Registration (PoR) card expires on June 30, ending their legal status and protections. The PoR card allowed Afghan refugees to stay in Pakistan without fear of arrest or deportation. Now, many face the risk of being sent back to Afghanistan.
The latest round of deportations follows an earlier phase launched after March 31, which focused on Afghans holding Afghan Citizen Cards and those without documentation.
That phase slowed down after Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar visited Kabul and held talks with Taliban officials amid concerns over the Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan operating from Afghan territory.
An Islamabad-based security official told The Media Line that this marks the final phase of deportations, targeting approximately 1.3 million Afghans who are either registered with the United Nations or hold PoR cards. The Federal Interior Ministry had earlier set June 30 as the deadline for voluntary departure.
Pakistan began issuing the PoR card to Afghan refugees in 2006 as a legal document, allowing them to remain in the country. This computerized card, similar to Pakistan’s national identity card, is issued by the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) and allows refugees access to basic services.
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Holders of smart PoR cards could access services such as education, healthcare, mobile SIM registration, and banking.
In 2023, NADRA issued 1.3 million smart PoR cards to registered Afghan refugees. The validity of these cards was initially extended to June 2023 and later to June 2025.
According to the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR), around 1.3 million Afghan refugees currently hold PoR cards and now face the risk of deportation from Pakistan. UNHCR statistics also show that over 1 million Afghan refugees have returned from Pakistan between September 2023 and June 7, 2025. Of these, more than 900,000 were undocumented.
Additionally, over 50,000 refugees with Afghan Citizen Cards and more than 100,000 with PoR cards have voluntarily returned to Afghanistan.
In October 2023, Pakistan launched a nationwide crackdown to remove foreigners without legal documentation, with a particular focus on undocumented Afghans. Since then, Pakistani authorities have expelled nearly 1 million Afghans in two phases, according to published reports.
The government justified the operation on security grounds, citing allegations that some Afghans were involved in militant activities. However, the crackdown has raised serious humanitarian concerns, with reports of arbitrary arrests, extortion, and forced evictions. Human rights groups have condemned the campaign, warning of the dangers faced by vulnerable populations, including women, children, and former Afghan government employees.
Tens of thousands of Afghans fled the country following the Taliban’s return to power in 2021. Many were approved for resettlement—particularly in the United States and some European Union countries—through programs designed to support individuals at risk due to their work with foreign governments, the media, aid agencies, and human rights groups.
However, in January, President Donald Trump paused US refugee admissions, leaving around 20,000 Afghans in limbo.
