KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – More than a dozen Afghan cultural and media organizations have jointly urged the Pakistani government to immediately stop the mass deportation of Afghan refugees, warning that the forced returns are putting thousands of lives at serious risk, particularly those of writers, journalists, artists, and human rights defenders who fear persecution under Taliban rule.
In a statement on Wednesday, the groups condemned Pakistan’s continued enforcement of the “Illegal Foreigners Repatriation Plan,” under which more than 30,000 Afghans were deported in April alone.
The plan, first announced in October 2023, has faced widespread criticism from international bodies, including the United Nations and the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan. Since its implementation, at least 1.3 million Afghan nationals have been expelled.
The World Health Organization (WHO) now estimates that an additional 1.6 million Afghan refugees could be returned from Pakistan in 2025, with 80 percent of those deportations expected to occur between April and September.
“Despite repeated appeals from UN experts and a continuing non-return advisory from the UNHCR, Pakistan is escalating deportations with little regard for the risks these individuals face,” the statement said. “Those being returned include people who fled Taliban repression and now face the threat of arrest, torture, or worse simply for expressing themselves.”
Many of the deported had crossed into Pakistan following the Taliban’s return to power in August 2021, intending to seek safety or resettlement in third countries. However, the suspension of humanitarian visa programs and limited international support have left thousands stranded in legal limbo and exposed to forced return.
The organizations also highlighted the severe dangers facing women and girls, who are subjected to systemic repression by the Taliban, a situation that UN experts have described as “gender apartheid.” Deportation, they warned, would return them to a life devoid of basic rights, including education, work, and freedom of movement.
The statement called on Pakistan to honor its human rights obligations, including the international legal principle of non-refoulement, which forbids returning individuals to a country where they face threats to life or freedom.
The signatories also urged countries such as the United States, the United Kingdom, and Germany to reopen and expand humanitarian visa channels and provide safe, legal passage for at-risk Afghans.
“For more than a million Afghan refugees and asylum seekers still in Pakistan, fear now defines their daily lives,” the statement warned. “It is time for Pakistan to end these forced returns—and for the international community to act before more lives are lost to persecution and silence.”
The appeal comes amid mounting concern across Afghan civil society over the deteriorating situation for refugees in the region, as hope for safe relocation continues to fade.
Pakistan, long host to one of the world’s largest Afghan refugee populations, has sharply increased deportations in recent months. Thousands are now being sent back daily to Taliban-controlled Afghanistan, a country already grappling with extreme poverty and a deepening humanitarian crisis.
