Afghan Migrants In Agony As Pak Forces Them Out

KABUL- Afghan migrants have shared their agony following their expulsion from Pakistan, as Islamabad accelerated the third phase of the forced deportation. They said that they were “humiliated” and asserted that Pakistani officials also demanded money from them in return for their documents.

The deportation process intensified in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa after Sindh and Punjab provinces during the third phase.

“All provincial governments are instructed that from now on, the presence of Afghan nationals without valid visas and passports in Pakistan is illegal, and they must be arrested and deported,” Afghanistan-based Tolo News quoted Pakistan’s Ministry of Interior as saying.

A number of Afghan families who had valid Proof of Registration cards have shared painful experiences with the local media regarding mistreatment by Pakistani officials at the Torkham migrant camp.

Ziaul Haq, one of the deportees, expressed happiness on returning to Afghanistan and said that Afghan refugees are humiliated in Pakistan. “We were very happy to return to our homeland. This is our own land. In Pakistan, Afghan refugees are treated with no dignity and are humiliated,” he said.

Another deportee, Hedayatullah, described his experience of facing mistreatment in Pakistan, stating, “I got a call from home saying to come quickly because our belongings had been packed. We were treated very badly there, despite having PoR cards and legal documents.”

Inzamamul Haq, a 28-year-old resident of Kunar province, who was recently deported along with his family from Punjab after residing in Pakistan for 40 years, said, “When we reached the checkpoint, they demanded 200,000 Pakistani rupees. They gave us two days, took our documents, and when our vehicle arrived, they took the money, returned our documents, and deported us.”

A July 31 report by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees has revealed that nearly 1.2 million Afghans have returned from Pakistan since September 2023.

In the report, the UNHCR noted that many of the Afghans who have returned face dire conditions and called for urgent aid to prevent a worsening humanitarian crisis.

The agency stated that more than 315,000 Afghans came back to Afghanistan in 2025 alone, including 51,000 who were forcibly deported by Pakistani authorities.

Increasing political and security pressures in Pakistan pose a threat to the status of over two million Afghan refugees who have lived there for decades.          (IANS)