Detained Afghans with German resettlement guarantees in Pakistan - Arrested Afghans in Pakistan Possessing German Reception Permit
Germany's Approved Refugees Detained in Pakistan Amid Deportation Crackdown
Afghans who have received approval for admission to Germany are facing detention in Pakistan, particularly in Islamabad and Peshawar, due to Pakistan's ongoing crackdown and deportation efforts targeting Afghan refugees.
Pakistani authorities have arrested and detained many Afghans, including journalists, human rights activists, and former local staff of German institutions, despite their legal approval for resettlement in Germany. This is a result of Pakistan's harsher immigration and deportation policies, initiated in 2023 and intensified in 2025, which involve rescinding residence permits of hundreds of thousands of Afghans and threatening arrests for those who do not leave.
These policies have led to the arrests and deportations of Afghans even amid German efforts to secure their safe transfer under special admission programs. Currently, more than 2,000 Afghans with German admission promises remain stranded in Pakistan as visa procedures have largely been frozen since May 2025 under Germany’s stricter immigration policies.
Approximately 350 of these are former local German staff and their families who face acute danger if deported back to Taliban-controlled Afghanistan. Reports suggest that some individuals awaiting German resettlement have been deported by Pakistan back to Afghanistan, although after diplomatic engagement, some detainees were released from detention centers.
Pakistani authorities have arranged local accommodation for deportees in Afghanistan via third parties while talks continue with German and Pakistani authorities regarding their return to Pakistan for relocation. German diplomats, officials, and employees of the Society for International Cooperation are trying to persuade Pakistani government agencies not to deport detained Afghans with German admission approval.
Kabul Air Bridge, a German non-profit organization, has called for the immediate issuance of visas for the affected people and is receiving constant appeals for help from affected Afghans in Pakistan. Reporters Without Borders has also called on the federal government to work for the release of the arrested journalist.
In summary, the detention of Afghans with German admission approvals in Islamabad and Peshawar results from Pakistan’s intensified deportation campaign and immigration enforcement, despite ongoing diplomatic negotiations and Germany’s stated commitment to protect these vulnerable individuals.
- Despite the ongoing efforts by Germany to secure safe transfer under special admission programs, stricter immigration policies in Germany have frozen visa procedures, leaving more than 2,000 vocational training-eligible individuals with German admission promises stranded in Pakistan.
- Amidst the general-news of Germany's Approved Refugees being detained in Pakistan, German diplomats and officials are actively engaging in politics by urging the Pakistani government agencies to reconsider the deportation of Afghans with vocational training backgrounds and German admission approval.
