Pakistan once more rescinds Afghan admission, denying access to education programs
In a concerning turn of events, over 2,000 Afghans, including journalists, human rights activists, and former local forces, find themselves stranded in Pakistan, awaiting visas for their resettlement to Germany under the German admission program. The program, which has been largely put on hold since May 2025, has left many Afghans in a precarious position as Pakistan intensifies its deportation drives.
The German admission programs for Afghans in Pakistan are currently experiencing a freeze in visa processing, with no new visas being issued without legal action. This situation arises from Germany's stricter immigration policy following Chancellor Merz's office assumption. Despite a court ruling in July 2025 that Germany has a legally binding commitment to issue visas to those already accepted, the German government initially appealed but later withdrew the appeal, resulting in some Afghans receiving visas following court orders.
Meanwhile, Pakistan has been conducting deportation drives since 2023, rescinding many Afghans' residence permits and threatening arrest and deportation for those not leaving voluntarily. This campaign has affected even those enrolled in the German admission program. Reports suggest that Pakistan may be using deportations as a means of political pressure on Germany over the stalled refugee resettlement process.
The Pakistani authorities have temporarily detained several Afghans with a resettlement offer for Germany in recent months, including a journalist with an admission promise and his family members who were taken to a deportation camp in Pakistan on Wednesday. The arrests occurred overnight in Islamabad, as confirmed by a local police spokesman, and Raids were conducted in several accommodations, resulting in the arrest of multiple families.
Criticisms have been raised about the lengthy admission procedures, with organisations such as Air Bridge Kabul calling for the immediate issuance of visas for those affected. Since the German embassy in Kabul closed in August 2021, Afghans undergoing a screening process in Pakistan have been left without effective protection.
Among those affected are around 350 former local staff of German institutions with their families who have a resettlement offer. The German government, through the German Society for International Cooperation (GIZ), has contact with people who have already been deported to Afghanistan and provides support.
Observers believe that Pakistan is increasing pressure on the Islamic Taliban in Afghanistan through mass deportations. However, this situation leaves many vulnerable Afghans at severe risk due to frozen resettlement pathways and Pakistan’s intensified deportation policies.
- The intensified deportation drives by Pakistan have added to the urgency of the frozen German admission programs, as some Afghans, such as a journalist and his family, have been detained and taken to a deportation camp, despite having a resettlement offer.
- Political tensions between Germany and Pakistan may be escalating due to the stalled refugee resettlement process, as Pakistan has been using deportations as a means of pressure, according to reports.
- The arrests and detainments of Afghans, like human rights activists and former local forces, alongside their families, who have a resettlement offer under the German admission program, highlight the critical situation resulting from the freeze in visa processing due to Germany's stricter immigration policy and Pakistan's increased deportation activities.
