KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – Pakistani authorities have arrested and deported more than 200 Afghan refugees who were awaiting resettlement to Germany, local sources told KabulNow.
The individuals were taken from several areas in Islamabad on Wednesday and sent back to Afghanistan on Friday, August 15. Many were former employees of Germany’s development agency, GIZ, and had already been approved for relocation under German resettlement programs.
According to sources, the individuals had entered Pakistan legally on visas and had regularly renewed them. However, Pakistani authorities recently stopped visa extensions, leading to their arrests and deportations.
One deportee told KabulNow that those returned now live in “constant fear and anxiety,” facing the risk of detention by the Taliban at any moment.
German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul confirmed on Friday that several Afghans under Germany’s protection had been deported. He said Berlin is in high-level talks with Pakistani officials to ensure protection for those still awaiting relocation and to provide immediate support to those already returned.
Following the Taliban takeover, Germany pledged to resettle Afghans who had supported the country and others facing persecution. The program was effectively suspended after Chancellor Friedrich Merz took office, leaving around 2,400 Afghans stranded in Pakistan, including former staffers, women’s rights activists, and LGBTQ+ individuals at risk under Taliban rule.
Pakistan, which has long hosted Afghan refugees fleeing war and oppression, launched a series of deportation drives starting in late 2023. The campaign has affected both undocumented Afghans and those with valid documents or pending resettlement in countries such as Germany and the US.
The UN in a report last month warned that Afghans forced to return to their home country under Taliban rule face “serious violations” of their human rights — including threats, torture, and arbitrary arrest and detention.
