KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – Nearly 800,000 Afghan refugees have either been deported or voluntarily returned from Pakistan since November 2023, following the country’s crackdown on undocumented foreign nationals, according to Pakistani officials.
Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Mumtaz Zahra Baloch, said during her weekly press briefing on Thursday that the process is still ongoing to ensure the “successful and smooth return” of illegal Afghan nationals.
“Since November 2023 to October 2024, so far 757,008 undocumented Afghans were sent back to Afghanistan,” she said, adding that the figure also includes those who returned voluntarily.
In November of last year, Pakistan launched a crackdown on foreign nationals residing in the country without legal documentation, describing the move as a counter-terrorism measure in response to a recent surge in security incidents.
The crackdown primarily targeted millions of Afghan refugees and asylum seekers without legal documentation.
For decades, the country has hosted millions of Afghan refugees fleeing conflict, political unrest, persecution, and unemployment at home. According to the UN, there are currently around 3.2 million Afghan refugees in Pakistan, with approximately 1.3 million registered and another 880,000 holding legal status to remain.
Shortly after Islamabad announced its plans to deport illegal Afghan nationals, the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) urged the country to continue protecting vulnerable refugees who sought safety there.
The UNHCR and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) emphasized in a joint statement, “Afghanistan is going through a severe humanitarian crisis with several human rights challenges, particularly for women and girls.”
“Such plans would have serious implications for all who have been forced to leave the country and may face serious protection risks upon return.”
Similarly, international rights groups, including Amnesty International, have previously raised concerns about Pakistan’s crackdown, urging an end to the “unlawful” deportation of Afghan refugees, especially those at risk of Taliban retaliation.
“Pakistan’s ‘Illegal Foreigners’ Repatriation Plan’ is in violation of refugee and international human rights law, particularly the principle of non-refoulement, and puts the lives of all Afghan refugees at risk, particularly women, girls, journalists, human rights defenders, women protestors, artists, and former Afghan government and security officials,” the rights group said.
Returning Afghans face severe economic, humanitarian, and health challenges, exacerbated by the Taliban’s resurgence and recent natural disasters. According to the UN, nearly 24 million people, mostly women and children, rely on humanitarian assistance in the country this year.
