Pakistan is set to expel 3 million Afghans this year as authorities push forward with a sweeping crackdown on undocumented foreigners, drawing condemnation from rights groups, the Taliban government, and the United Nations.
The latest phase of the expulsion campaign, which began in October 2023, gained momentum as a March 31 deadline for voluntary departures from Islamabad and Rawalpindi expired.
Officials initially planned to begin arrests and forced deportations on April 1, but postponed them to April 10 due to the Eid al-Fitr holidays, according to government documents reviewed by The Associated Press (AP).
Over the past 18 months, some 845,000 Afghans have fled Pakistan, according to the International Organization for Migration.
Yet, an estimated 3 million Afghans remain.
Of these, 1.3 million hold Proof of Registration (PoR) cards, 807,000 possess Afghan Citizen Cards (ACC), and roughly 1 million lack any legal documentation.
Pakistan has vowed to ensure that once deported, Afghans will not be allowed to return.
Authorities ordered all Afghan Citizen Card holders to leave Islamabad and Rawalpindi by March 31 or face deportation.
Meanwhile, PoR holders are permitted to stay until June 30.
Afghans approved for third-country resettlement must also vacate the capital region by March 31, with authorities pledging to coordinate with foreign diplomatic missions to facilitate their departures.
If resettlement efforts fail, they, too, will be deported.
Tens of thousands of Afghans fled to Pakistan after the Taliban’s return to power in 2021, many eligible for U.S. resettlement programs due to their work with the American government, media, aid agencies and human rights organizations.
However, President Donald Trump's decision to pause U.S. refugee programs in January left at least 20,000 Afghans stranded in Pakistan with uncertain futures.
Afghanistan’s Refugee Ministry spokesman, Abdul Mutalib Haqqani, accused Pakistan of making unilateral decisions without consulting the U.N. refugee agency or Taliban officials.
“We have shared our concerns, stating that expelling refugees arbitrarily serves neither their interest nor ours,” Haqqani said. “It fuels anti-Pakistan sentiment and poses logistical challenges for us. We urge Pakistan to coordinate a dignified and systematic return process.”
Pakistan has ruled out any Afghan representation in committees handling the expulsions, reinforcing concerns over transparency and accountability.
For many Afghans, deportation means being uprooted from the only home they’ve ever known.
Nazir Ahmed, 21, was born in Quetta, Pakistan, and has never set foot in Afghanistan.
His only tie to the country was his late father, who died in Quetta four years ago.
“How can we go there?” Ahmed asked. “We have no connections. Our entire family lives in Quetta. If we go to Afghanistan, what will we do? We appeal to the government to give us time to figure out our future.”
Families with mixed legal statuses face impossible choices. Omaid Khan, 30, holds an Afghan Citizen Card, requiring him to leave, while his wife, a PoR holder, can stay until June 30. Their two children lack passports or identification from either country, leaving them in legal limbo.
“I am from Paktia province, but I’ve never been there. I have no idea what my future holds,” Khan said.
To facilitate deportations, authorities are setting up two transit stations in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province – one in Nasir Bagh near Peshawar and another in Landi Kotal, just seven kilometers from the Torkham border crossing.
The deportation drive has sparked protests and intensified criticism of Pakistan’s handling of Afghan refugees.
Human rights organizations warn that forced expulsions could lead to humanitarian crises, while the Taliban government has called the measures “inhumane and politically motivated.”
