In a move that has drawn widespread condemnation from international organizations and rights groups, Pakistan has begun a mass deportation of Afghan refugees who missed the recent deadline to leave the country. The crackdown is part of Pakistan’s new anti-immigrant policy and is affecting an estimated 2 million Afghans believed to be residing in the country without proper documentation.
Pakistan’s acting interior minister, Sarfraz Bugti, announced that at least 200,000 Afghan refugees have already voluntarily returned to Afghanistan in response to the new policy. Afghans who failed to meet the deadline are now being rounded up and transported to the Afghan border using various means, such as buses and trucks, to ensure they do not return to Pakistan. The policy further prevents them from carrying any amount above 50,000 PKR to help them start afresh.
This harsh policy has sparked criticism from United Nations agencies, rights groups, and even the Taliban administration in Afghanistan. The Taliban government has urged Pakistan to provide undocumented Afghans with more time to leave, as many of them have been living and working in Pakistan for years.
Refugee holding camps have been set up for those awaiting deportation, with over 1,000 refugees currently residing in temporary shelters in Chaman, a border town with Afghanistan.
Critics have accused Pakistani authorities of harassing both illegal and legal refugees, and the situation has escalated before the deadline’s expiration.
According to UN agencies, more than two million undocumented Afghans reside in Pakistan, with approximately 600,000 of them having fled Afghanistan following the Taliban’s takeover in 2021. The strained relations between Pakistan and the Taliban-led Afghan government are partly attributed to increased attacks by the Pakistani Taliban, a separate militant group aligned with the Afghan Taliban.
Afghans residing in Pakistan have experienced forced repatriations in the past, but this latest wave is unprecedented. Pakistani officials argue that the mass expulsion is essential for public welfare and the country’s safety, but it is also influenced by domestic politics and deteriorating relations with the Taliban-led Afghanistan.
The potential consequences of Pakistan’s stringent deportation policy are dire. Afghanistan is ill-prepared to accommodate a large influx of returnees, particularly considering the dire humanitarian crisis in the country, marked by food insecurity, droughts, floods, and earthquakes. Afghanistan is also experiencing significant cuts in global aid and a reduced presence of international relief organizations after the Taliban assumed power.
Pakistan contends that its actions align with international norms, citing the deportation of undocumented immigrants in many Western countries. Authorities emphasize that the policy targets all undocumented foreigners, not just Afghans, and that legal immigrants will not be affected. However, reports have emerged of documented Afghans also being deported, raising concerns about the policy’s impact on migrants and refugees from other countries like Iran, Myanmar, and Sri Lanka.
Afghan refugees have become the focus of Pakistan’s recent measures as the country grapples with a severe economic crisis and an upsurge in violence by the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) based in Afghanistan. Pakistani officials have accused Afghans of involvement in organized crime and terrorism, indirectly blaming them for hindering Pakistan’s economic recovery.
While some Pakistanis have condemned the deportation policy and staged protests, it is unclear how many oppose it. The caretaker government, currently in power ahead of upcoming elections in January, is strongly influenced by the military, which publicly endorsed and finalized the deportation plan. The policy may also serve as a way to pressure the Taliban in Afghanistan to take more significant actions against TTP fighters and bases in their territory.
Unfortunately, this geopolitical maneuvering is taking a heavy toll on vulnerable Afghans, from recent arrivals to long-term residents who consider Pakistan their only home, making them collateral damage in a broader political agenda.
