Approximately 280 Afghans held by Pakistan during their enrollment procedures
In a move that has sparked international concern, Pakistan has been intensifying the deportation of Afghan refugees back to their war-torn homeland. This accelerated timeline, which began in late August 2025, has seen nearly 3,500 Afghans being deported daily through border crossings like Torkham and Spin Boldak.
The deportations target both documented and undocumented refugees. According to reports, Pakistan aims to expel three million Afghan women and men, with approximately 1.4 million registered refugees holding Proof of Registration (PoR) cards and around 800,000 others who are considered to be residing illegally.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and other rights groups have strongly criticized this move, urging Pakistan to halt forced returns, particularly of PoR cardholders. They warn that forced deportations violate the international principle of non-refoulement, which forbids returning individuals to countries where they face serious threats to life or freedom.
The UN also raises concern over the plight of vulnerable groups like women and girls sent back to Taliban-controlled Afghanistan, where economic collapse and restrictions persist.
Many of the deported Afghans are awaiting resettlement to third countries, including Germany, but fear for their safety and report being left in dire conditions without adequate protection or support. The UNHCR continues to work with resettlement countries to facilitate their departure, but the situation remains urgent and precarious.
The new coalition government of Union and SPD in Germany halted resettlement programs for Afghans in early May. However, according to the Federal Ministry of the Interior, approximately 350 former local forces of German institutions with their families are among the Afghans in these resettlement programs.
Notably, Pakistani police have taken a journalist with an admission offer and his family members to a deportation camp, as reported by Reporters Without Borders.
Observers believe that Pakistan wants to increase pressure on the Islamic Taliban in Afghanistan through these mass deportations. However, the humanitarian crisis that these deportations are causing has raised serious questions about the ethical and legal implications of such actions.
[1] UNHCR, (2025). Pakistan: Urgent need to halt forced returns of Afghans. [online] Available at: https://www.unhcr.org/news/latest/2025/8/6303d52d4/pakistan-urgent-need-halt-forced-returns-afghans.html
[2] Amnesty International, (2025). Pakistan: Stop forced returns of Afghans. [online] Available at: https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2025/08/pakistan-stop-forced-returns-of-afghans/
[3] Human Rights Watch, (2025). Pakistan: Stop Deportations of Afghans to Taliban-controlled Areas. [online] Available at: https://www.hrw.org/news/2025/08/04/pakistan-stop-deportations-afghans-taliban-controlled-areas
[4] UNHCR, (2025). Afghanistan: Urgent need for protection and solutions for refugees. [online] Available at: https://www.unhcr.org/news/latest/2025/8/6303d5124/afghanistan-urgent-need-protection-solutions-refugees.html
[5] BBC News, (2025). Pakistan urged to halt forced returns of Afghans. [online] Available at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-63034230
- The UNHCR, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and BBC News have raised concerns over Pakistan's forced deportations of almost 3,500 Afghans daily, criticizing the move as a violation of the international principle of non-refoulement and calling for an immediate halt, particularly for PoR cardholders.
- As political tension escalates, the General News has reported that the UNHCR, Amnesty International, and Human Rights Watch are urging Pakistan to reconsider its mass migration policy, warning of the severe impact on vulnerable groups like women and girls being sent back to Taliban-controlled Afghanistan, and urging the government to ensure the safety and protection of all deported Afghans.
