UN Warns Against Pakistan's Plan to Deport Afghan Refugees

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Key Takeaways

• Pakistan will deport Afghan refugees by March 31, 2025, unless alternative legal resettlement options emerge.
• Deportation targets 1.7 million undocumented Afghans, risking violations of non-refoulement principles per UNHCR and IOM warnings.
• U.S. refugee program suspensions until April 2025 delay 20,000 Afghans’ resettlement, increasing their vulnerability in Pakistan.

The decision by Pakistan 🇵🇰 to deport thousands of Afghan refugees has drawn significant concern from the international community, particularly from UN entities such as the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM). These agencies fear the potential humanitarian consequences resulting from the mass repatriation of these vulnerable individuals to Afghanistan 🇦🇫, where many face serious risks to their safety.

On February 5, 2025, the UNHCR and IOM issued a joint statement seeking further information about Pakistan’s plans. These concerns stem from Pakistan’s announcement to deport Afghan nationals unless their relocations to third countries are swiftly facilitated. This new policy directly impacts approximately 20,000 Afghan refugees who had been approved for resettlement in the United States under programs designed to protect individuals endangered because of their affiliations with American entities, media outlets, aid groups, or human rights organizations.

UN Warns Against Pakistan’s Plan to Deport Afghan Refugees

Context and Developments

Many of these refugees fled Afghanistan after the Taliban reclaimed power in 2021. While the displaced population pinned their hopes on eventual resettlement in the United States, their path has been complicated by events such as former U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision in January 2025 to suspend all U.S. refugee programs for three months. This policy move disrupted the already precarious timelines for relocation, leaving Afghan refugees stranded in Pakistan and further heightening uncertainty over their futures.

In addition to worrying delays, Pakistan has launched more aggressive policies targeting undocumented foreign nationals. Illegal status alone appears to be a justification for deportation, even as UN agencies and human rights groups underscore that many of these individuals lack the ability to safely return to Afghanistan. The broader crackdown includes the arrest of undocumented migrants and a timeline for forced removals. Since January 1, 2025, there has been a sharp increase in arrests of Afghans in Islamabad and Rawalpindi, adding distress and instability to an already fraught situation. The government has instructed that deportations be executed by March 31, 2025, unless legal resettlement pathways materialize for eligible individuals.

Numbers and Status

As of October 2023, Pakistan hosted 3.7 million Afghan refugees, including an estimated 700,000 who arrived following the Taliban’s 2021 takeover. Within this figure, approximately 1.45 million were registered with UNHCR as official refugees, while about 1.7 million lacked any legal documentation, leaving them vulnerable to deportation. These undocumented individuals face substantial barriers in accessing asylum or other formal protections.

The deportation plan unfolds against a backdrop of acute instability in Afghanistan itself. By late 2023, 60,000 Afghans had already returned to Afghanistan in response to Pakistan’s internal deadline, citing fear of arrest as their primary motivation. This exodus followed policies announced in October 2023, which gave a hard November 1 deadline for departures of undocumented migrants. The majority of those who left cited extreme fear rather than voluntary willingness to return, according to joint reports by the UNHCR and IOM.

Risks of Deportation

Returning to Afghanistan presents grave risks for various groups. Women and girls, in particular, face systematic erasure from public life under Taliban rule. UN spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani highlighted their particular vulnerability, pointing out that deportation would likely relegate these individuals to uncertain and dangerous futures. Civil society activists, human rights defenders, and minorities—both religious and ethnic—are among other groups identified as being at extreme risk of persecution, ranging from arbitrary detention to physical harm.

The UN and partner organizations have repeatedly called upon Pakistan to pause deportation measures to ensure that policies adhere to international legal norms. The principle of non-refoulement, central to refugee law and enshrined in international treaties like the Convention Against Torture, prohibits the return of individuals to places where they face serious threats to life, freedom, or humane treatment. Any deportation absent an individualized assessment of circumstances could constitute refoulement, in violation of these binding global agreements.

Tracing Historical Context

The tensions between Pakistan and Afghan refugees are not new. For decades, Pakistan has hosted millions of Afghans who fled violence, instability, and economic hardships in their homeland. Many of these individuals arrived as far back as the 1980s during the Soviet-Afghan War. However, the tolerance for refugees began to erode in recent years as Pakistan faced economic challenges and escalating security threats along its border with Afghanistan.

The escalation of a deportation campaign in the early 2020s coincided with reports of widespread mistreatment of Afghan nationals. Observers and rights organizations noted incidents of large-scale arrests, forced evictions, destruction of documents, and confiscation of property. Such measures often left refugees with few or no resources for survival. These actions triggered sharp criticism from international human rights organizations, as well as the UN, for failing to uphold obligations to protect refugees and asylum seekers.

A particularly low point came in March 2024, when Pakistan began implementing the second phase of its Afghan deportation program, despite mounting demands to halt such actions. In reaction to these developments, the UNHCR urged global efforts to provide financial and logistical support for Afghan refugees through measures such as its $620 million fundraising call in April 2024. This initiative aimed to support 4.8 million Afghans in Iran 🇮🇷 and Pakistan, along with 2.5 million individuals in the Pakistani host communities who were also affected by the influx of refugees.

Calls for Accountability

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and related bodies have consistently called on Pakistan to meet its international commitments. Specifically, they advocate for procedures to ensure deportations are voluntary, safe, dignified, and fully compliant with human rights standards. Addressing the importance of due process, the UNHCR and IOM stressed the need for systems to evaluate individual circumstances, particularly for holders of Proof of Registration (POR) or Afghan Citizen Cards (ACC), many of whom have called Pakistan home for decades.

Furthermore, agencies are seeking cooperative frameworks with the Pakistani government to manage the complex interplay of challenges posed by refugee registration, rights enforcement, and resettlement pathways. Philippa Candler, UNHCR’s representative in Pakistan, emphasized the country’s long record of hosting and aiding refugees, while IOM’s Mio Sato affirmed a willingness to help develop strategies for addressing both humanitarian and administrative burdens.

Broader Implications

This crisis is more than a bilateral issue between Pakistan and Afghanistan. The stakes for Afghan refugees underscore ongoing global challenges in refugee protection. Pakistan’s role as a consistent host of refugees has earned it recognition, but the economic strain and border conflict realities reveal limits to its capacity. Meanwhile, the delay in relocation programs by countries like the United States exacerbates burdens placed on host nations.

As reported by VisaVerge.com, international organizations are urging broader coalitions to step up and resolve systemic issues such as resettlement bottlenecks and protection deficits. Humanitarian agencies have cautioned that failure to adequately address these challenges risks aggravating the fragility of both host and home nations. The situation serves as a stark reminder of the interconnected nature of international migration policies and the shared responsibilities they require.

Key Takeaways for Policymakers

With the March 2025 deportation deadline fast approaching, clarity on policy implementation is needed. Pakistan must balance domestic concerns with adherence to its human rights obligations, ensuring that deportation practices do not endanger lives or violate established legal norms. Concurrently, global stakeholders must expedite resettlement programs and expand pathways that make durable solutions feasible.

For further official updates on Pakistan’s refugee policies and legal proceedings, readers can consult the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees website at unhcr.org.

Conclusion

The fate of Afghan refugees in Pakistan remains uncertain as policy decisions, legal frameworks, and humanitarian efforts interact amid an evolving crisis. Only through collaborative international efforts can the immediate protection of refugees be assured while addressing broader systemic challenges. Afghan nationals caught in this dilemma need secure pathways that respect human rights, provide protection, and ultimately offer hope for a safer future.

Learn Today

Non-refoulement → A principle in international law prohibiting the forced return of individuals to places of danger or persecution.
Repatriation → The process of returning someone to their country of origin, often in the context of refugees or deportation.
Resettlement → The organized relocation of refugees to a third country that agrees to provide them legal protection and residency.
Proof of Registration (POR) → Official documentation issued by Pakistan recognizing Afghan refugees as registered and granting them certain legal protections.
Afghan Citizen Card (ACC) → Identification provided to Afghan nationals in Pakistan for legal recognition, often granting limited rights compared to POR holders.

This Article in a Nutshell

Pakistan’s plan to deport Afghan refugees raises alarm globally. With 700,000 undocumented Afghans at risk, UN agencies warn of humanitarian crises. Many refugees face persecution under Taliban rule if returned. As deadlines loom, the need for global collaboration grows urgent—balancing Pakistan’s domestic challenges with refugee protection is now a pivotal international responsibility.
— By VisaVerge.com