UN Urges Pakistan To Halt Afghan Refugee Deportations After Deadly Quake
The United Nations on Wednesday urged Pakistan to halt the mass deportation of Afghan refugees, following a devastating earthquake in eastern Afghanistan that killed nearly 1,500 people.
Since the August 31 deadline expired for Afghan refugees holding Proof of Registration (PoR) cards, thousands have crossed the border back into Afghanistan from Pakistan. The return process has continued despite the deadly quake.
In response to the crisis, UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi wrote on X, “In view of the circumstances, I appeal to the government of Pakistan to suspend the implementation of its plan to repatriate undocumented foreigners.”
Grandi also noted that the earthquake had “affected more than half a million people in eastern Afghanistan” and emphasized that “aid from donors, including Pakistan, is vital and greatly welcomed.”
Meanwhile, rescue efforts have struggled to gain momentum. Relief teams in Afghanistan were still attempting on Wednesday to reach survivors of the powerful 6.0-magnitude quake that struck late Sunday night.
Emergency crews, hampered by limited equipment and rough terrain, worked through the debris of flattened homes in some of the country’s most remote and impoverished provinces.
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Humanitarian organizations have warned that resources for food, medicine, and shelter are already stretched thin, fueling fears of a worsening crisis.
By midweek, Taliban authorities confirmed the official death toll had risen beyond 1,450, though they admitted the final number of casualties could be much higher.
Kunar province, which borders Pakistan, reported the heaviest losses, with more than 5,000 homes damaged.
Large areas remain cut off due to blocked roads and disrupted communication, leaving families without access to food, shelter, or medical assistance.
For Afghan refugees still in Pakistan, the earthquake has only intensified uncertainty.
Lala Mujahid, head of the council representing Afghan traders in Pakistan, told The Media Line that “the government’s decision had left many families in shock. We were given very little time to leave, which made it almost impossible to gather our belongings, close our businesses, and prepare our families for departure,” he said.
Mujahid explained that the recent earthquake compounded the difficulties for Afghan refugees, many of whom already faced uncertainty about where they would live and how they would provide for their families once back in Afghanistan.
“Now the earthquake has only deepened the hardships, while the visa process for Afghan citizens remains extremely complicated,” he added.
Pointing to the plight of the most vulnerable, he stressed that in the current situation, returning with women and children was “an extraordinarily hard task,” as they would be left without adequate shelter, healthcare, and security.
Pakistan has hosted waves of Afghans fleeing violence for more than four decades, beginning with the Soviet invasion in the 1980s and continuing through the Taliban’s return to power in 2021. However, in 2023, Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan, launched a sweeping crackdown on Afghan nationals, citing a surge in terrorist attacks, rising insecurity, and alleged involvement of Afghan migrants.
According to the United Nations, the policy has forced more than 1.2 million Afghans to leave Pakistan, including over 443,000 so far this year alone.
As Afghanistan reels from the quake’s devastation, international aid agencies warn that the combined pressures of displacement and disaster are worsening one of the region’s most protracted humanitarian emergencies.
