KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – The Taliban-run Afghanistan Embassy in Islamabad has raised concerns over the mass detention and deportation of Afghan refugees in the city, confirming the detention of around 800 Afghans in the past few days.
In a statement issued on X on Monday, January 6, the embassy highlighted that some of those detained possess valid visas, Proof of Registration (PoR), and Afghan Citizen Card (ACC) documents.
Additionally, 137 Afghan nationals, whose visas had expired but had applied for an extension, were among those deported. The embassy also noted the deportation of individuals holding UNHCR documents.
The embassy highlighted that the lack of clarity regarding the No Objection Certificate (NOC) requirement and its issuance process has led to troubling incidents of arbitrary detention and deportation.
“The Embassy is particularly alarmed by reports of unjust arrests, home searches, and extortion targeting Afghan nationals,” the statement read, urging the Pakistani government to address these issues immediately.
Furthermore, the embassy called on the UNHCR and human rights organizations to intervene urgently, stressing the importance of safeguarding the dignity, rights, and safety of Afghan nationals residing in Pakistan.
Recently, Pakistani police have intensified house-to-house searches in areas of Islamabad where Afghan refugees reside, arresting, detaining, and deporting hundreds, including those with valid documentation.
Sources in Islamabad have reported that in the past week, Pakistani security forces raided numerous properties rented by Afghans, subjecting residents to harassment, arrest, and deportation, including women and children, even those with valid visas and other official documents.
This crackdown has exacerbated the already precarious situation for Afghan refugees in Pakistan. Many of those affected include former government officials, rights activists, and journalists, who face the risk of Taliban detention, torture, and even death if deported back to Afghanistan.
Pakistan currently hosts 3.2 million Afghan refugees, according to the UN. Over 600,000 of them arrived in the country after the Taliban’s return to power in August 2021, fearing persecution.
In November last year, Pakistan initiated a crackdown on undocumented foreign nationals, primarily targeting Afghans, describing the move as a counter-terrorism measure. Since then, it has deported nearly 800,000 Afghans back to Taliban-controlled, impoverished Afghanistan.
