Pakistan’s Afghan Refugee Deadline Has Expired—What Happens Now?
As thousands of Afghan refugees in Pakistan await clarity on their fate, the UN and humanitarian organizations call for legal pathways and international cooperation
[Islamabad] Today marks the first day after the deadline for Afghan refugees in Pakistan to voluntarily leave the country. Sources suggest that the enforcement of arrests and deportations has been postponed until April 10 due to the Eid-al-Fitr holidays, although no official announcement has been made regarding an extension.
Prior to the expiry of the deadline, Federal Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi chaired a high-level meeting in Islamabad. Interior Ministry officials informed the meeting that arrangements have been completed to send Afghan Citizen Card (ACC) holders back to Afghanistan.
The initial phase of the process is expected to focus on Afghan refugees living in the federal capital of Islamabad and the garrison city Rawalpindi.
The officials said that holding centers had been set up to detain Afghan citizens before their deportation, with food and health care facilities arranged at the facilities.
Pakistan has been deporting Afghan nationals since October 2023 while continuing its long-standing role as a host for Afghan refugees.
According to UN estimates, the country currently accommodates approximately 800,000 ACC holders. The ACC, issued by Pakistan’s National Database and Registration Authority, provides limited legal status to Afghan nationals residing in the country.
On January 29, Pakistan moved to repatriate ACC holders who lack valid travel documents, starting with those in Islamabad and Rawalpindi. Afghans who hold proof of registration are permitted to remain in Pakistan until June 30, as are those awaiting third-country resettlement.
Authorities have said that they will collaborate with foreign diplomatic missions to facilitate the resettlement but said that they will resort to deportation if resettlement efforts fail.
Two transit stations are reportedly being established in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to facilitate deportations. One is located in Nasir Bagh, a suburb of Peshawar, while the second is located in Landi Kotal, a border town approximately 5 miles from the Torkham Pak Afghan key crossing.
Thousands of people fled Afghanistan to Pakistan after the Taliban came to power in 2021, out of concern that their association with US and NATO forces would lead to retaliation by the Taliban.
Since October 2023, nearly 850,000 Afghans have left Pakistan, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
UN aid agencies have expressed concerns that returning Afghan citizens may face additional hardships given the ongoing crisis in Afghanistan.
“Returning to Afghanistan without consent may put some individuals at risk,” UNHCR spokesperson Qaiser Khan Afridi told The Media Line.
He highlighted the importance of Pakistan continuing to provide protection to Afghan citizens who are at risk—regardless of their documentation status.
Afridi expressed concern regarding the latest directive, pointing out that among ACC holders, there may be individuals requiring international protection. “The situation should be viewed through a humanitarian lens,” he said.
He also called for enhanced cooperation between Pakistan and Afghanistan to ensure that returns are dignified and voluntary.
The UNHCR representative in Pakistan, Philippa Candler, stressed that the forced return of Afghan migrants is not a viable long-term solution and serves no one’s interests. She also noted that many Afghans deported from Pakistan in 2023 have since returned, highlighting the complexities of the situation.
Amnesty International also criticized Pakistan’s decision to expel Afghan nationals.
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The organization’s deputy regional director for South Asia, Isabelle Lassée, said in a statement that the “unyielding” deportation deadline “shows little respect for international human rights law, particularly the principle of non-refoulement.”
She went on to criticize Pakistan’s campaign of portraying Afghan nationals as criminals and security threats.
Pakistan has adopted a firm position on Afghan nationals, arguing that certain Afghans in Islamabad and Rawalpindi have been involved in activities deemed harmful to the state. Last Friday, the government announced that it had finished mapping out Afghans and that it would not grant any deadline extensions.
Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid underlined the importance of fair treatment for Afghan refugees.
“First and foremost, we demand that host countries of Afghan refugees treat them with dignity and respect, refraining from forcibly deporting them,” he told The Media Line.
Mujahid also called on Afghan refugees to return to their homeland, assuring that the environment in Afghanistan is improving for their safe return. “There is a better environment for them here,” he said.
He said that Afghanistan has established a commission to facilitate Afghan resettlement.
Sajjad Azhar, a Rawalpindi-based geopolitical analyst, told The Media Line that Pakistan’s past support for the Taliban has fueled the refugee crisis.
“The Taliban have taken Afghanistan’s progressive voices hostage,” he said, adding that their extremist rule has undone post-US intervention reconstruction efforts.
He also pointed out that whenever tensions rise—especially over the armed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan group—Afghan refugees in Pakistan become scapegoats, often at the expense of international laws and human rights.
Among the most vulnerable refugees are women’s rights and human rights activists, as well as Afghan women who served in the security forces under the Ashraf Ghani administration, collaborating with US and NATO forces.
These women’s contributions have placed them at particular risk, and many are now awaiting relocation. Their cases are pending in the embassies of several Western countries, including the United States.
They fear that, if deported, they would face severe reprisals from the Taliban.
Humaira Alim, an Afghan women’s rights activist now in Islamabad, told The Media Line that leading mass protests against the Taliban made her a target, forcing her to flee. She is now awaiting relocation to Brazil.
We fled Afghanistan to escape persecution, yet the threat of deportation now hangs over us. The fear of torture, execution, and family destruction is overwhelming, worsened by malnutrition and daily survival struggles.
“We fled Afghanistan to escape persecution, yet the threat of deportation now hangs over us. The fear of torture, execution, and family destruction is overwhelming, worsened by malnutrition and daily survival struggles,” she said.
All Afghan families in Pakistan want, she said, is “to raise their children without fear, build a future, and contribute to society.”
“Providing legal pathways is essential,” she said. “Leaving us in constant fear of deportation only deepens our uncertainty.”
She said that the strict deportation deadline “puts countless vulnerable individuals—women’s rights defenders, former military personnel, and activists—at grave risk.”
Alim rejected the claim that Afghan refugees are a threat to Pakistan’s security. “We seek safety, not discord,” she said. “We only wish to live peacefully in a country that has long offered refuge.”
Samia Hamza, an Afghan human rights advocate and mother of four, currently based in Islamabad, expressed deep concern over the worsening treatment of Afghan refugees in Pakistan.
“As the deportation deadline nears, the behavior of local police is becoming increasingly harsh and restrictive, making daily life unbearable for many refugees,” Hamza told The Media Line.
Police officials frequently raid refugee homes at any hour of the night, causing widespread fear and distress, she said. “Women and children, in particular, are living in constant fear of forced deportation. Sleepless nights have become the norm for every Afghan refugee family, leading to severe anxiety and trauma,” she added.
For many, returning poses serious risks, including persecution and insecurity. Pakistan has a longstanding tradition of providing refuge, and we respectfully appeal for compassionate consideration, legal pathways, and protection from involuntary return.
Returning to Afghanistan is not necessarily an option, Hamza said. “For many, returning poses serious risks, including persecution and insecurity,” she explained. “Pakistan has a longstanding tradition of providing refuge, and we respectfully appeal for compassionate consideration, legal pathways, and protection from involuntary return.”
Rebecca Trotter, the Minnesota-based founder of Food for Thought Afghanistan, compared Pakistan’s actions to the Trump administration’s attempts to deport migrants who had been granted humanitarian asylum.
As an American, I cannot ignore the parallels. In both cases, governments are questioning whether individuals facing persecution—simply for advocating fundamental rights such as freedom of movement, employment, and education—should be given the opportunity to seek safety.
“As an American, I cannot ignore the parallels,” she said. “In both cases, governments are questioning whether individuals facing persecution—simply for advocating fundamental rights such as freedom of movement, employment, and education—should be given the opportunity to seek safety.”
Food for Thought Afghanistan is currently working with 60 Afghan rights activists persecuted by the Taliban who are currently waiting for visa approvals in third countries, Trotter said.
“Allowing their deportation would send a clear message that those fighting for basic rights have no escape, reinforcing the idea that oppressive governments can destroy lives without consequence,” she added.
