Pakistan begins second wave of Afghan deportations despite international concern

Over 85,000 Afghans expelled in April alone as Pakistan enforces April deadline amid mounting regional tensions.

Police officials question Afghan refugees before their departure to Afghanistan at a camp in the Panjpai area on the outskirts of Quetta on April 16, 2025. Photo by Banaras Khan/AFP

By Anna Fadiah and Hayu Andini

Pakistan has launched the second phase of its campaign to deport undocumented Afghans, with more than 85,000 people expelled just in the first half of April. The Pakistan Afghan deportations operation has triggered a wave of fear among Afghan refugees, most of whom have lived in Pakistan for decades, and many of whom are children. As Islamabad doubles down on its ultimatum, Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar is scheduled to visit Afghanistan for urgent talks with senior Taliban leaders.

The Pakistan Afghan deportations campaign has escalated dramatically, forcing convoys of Afghan families to leave the country amid threats of arrest, separation, and loss of livelihood. The Pakistani government has made it clear that the deadline for eviction — set for the end of April — will not be extended.

Mass expulsions amid political and security tensions

The latest crackdown has seen undocumented Afghans rounded up and forced to the borders in large numbers. “There will not be any sort of leniency and extension in the deadline,” Pakistan’s deputy interior minister Tallal Chaudhry said on Friday. The government says it is acting to protect national security, alleging that undocumented migrants could be involved in criminal activities or terrorism.

“When you arrive without any documents, it only deepens the uncertainty of whether you're involved in narcotics trafficking, supporting terrorism, or committing other crimes,” Chaudhry added, reinforcing an already hostile narrative against the Afghan community.

Critics argue that this framing is politically motivated. Analysts believe Pakistan is using the expulsions to pressure the Taliban government in Kabul amid rising border tensions. Relations between the two sides have deteriorated since the Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan in 2021. Cross-border militant attacks in Pakistan’s tribal regions have surged, and Islamabad claims Kabul is harboring armed groups responsible for the violence.

Families forced to flee

The Pakistan Afghan deportations are affecting some of the most vulnerable populations. The United Nations refugee agency reported that over half of those deported in recent weeks were children. Many of these children have never lived in Afghanistan and are now entering a country where girls are barred from secondary and university education, and women are excluded from many forms of employment.

Families are making desperate efforts to avoid being separated or humiliated in front of neighbors. They are loading their belongings onto buses and trucks and making their way to the border, often after living in Pakistan for decades. Some were even born there.

“We are leaving everything behind,” said one man traveling to the border with his wife and three children. “My kids were born here. We don’t know anyone in Afghanistan. But we’re afraid the police will break into our house if we don’t leave.”

Second phase of deportations now underway

The current expulsions represent the second major phase of Pakistan’s crackdown on undocumented Afghans. In late 2023, Pakistan launched its first campaign, which led to hundreds of thousands of Afghans being forcibly deported within just a few weeks. That move sparked international criticism, with humanitarian groups warning of severe consequences for returnees in Taliban-controlled Afghanistan.

Despite that backlash, the Pakistani government pressed ahead. In March 2025, authorities cancelled the residence permits of over 800,000 Afghans, many of whom had been awaiting relocation to third countries through international resettlement programs. Now, those people face deportation by the end of April.

Even Afghans with legal documents are under pressure. More than 1.3 million Afghans who hold Proof of Registration (PoR) cards issued by the UNHCR have been told to leave Islamabad and Rawalpindi. Although these individuals were previously allowed to remain in Pakistan, they now face eviction orders as the government seeks to enforce uniform deportation rules.

High-level diplomatic visit to Kabul

Amid growing diplomatic strain, Pakistan’s foreign minister Ishaq Dar is visiting Kabul for high-level talks. His day-long visit includes planned meetings with senior Taliban leaders, including Prime Minister Hasan Akhund. The visit is aimed at managing rising tensions and finding a way forward in a relationship that has deteriorated sharply since the Taliban returned to power.

While the Taliban government has denied harboring militants, Pakistan maintains that Afghan soil is being used as a staging ground for attacks against its security forces. Islamabad accuses Kabul of inaction, saying it has failed to rein in extremist groups operating in border regions.

“We have reached a point where decisions have to be made,” said a senior Pakistani official who asked not to be named. “The patience of the Pakistani state is wearing thin.”

Humanitarian consequences for returnees

As deportations accelerate, humanitarian organizations are raising alarms. Afghanistan’s economy remains crippled by international sanctions and a lack of foreign aid. The return of tens of thousands of refugees only deepens the crisis, especially in provinces that are already suffering from food insecurity, unemployment, and collapsed infrastructure.

“We are deeply concerned about the pace of these deportations,” said a spokesperson for the UNHCR. “The majority of those being sent back are women and children. Afghanistan is not prepared to absorb such a large returnee population in such a short time.”

Many returnees arrive with no money, no shelter, and no access to basic services. Some are forced to sleep outdoors or live in makeshift camps near the border. For children, the future is especially uncertain. With the Taliban restricting girls’ education and closing off employment options for women, many families are worried their daughters will be robbed of opportunity — and their sons pulled into hardship or worse.

The broader regional implications

The Pakistan Afghan deportations are not happening in isolation. They are part of a broader geopolitical shift as Pakistan recalibrates its policies amid a changing regional security landscape. Once a key backer of the Taliban during their initial rise in the 1990s, Pakistan is now openly at odds with the movement it once supported.

The friction has serious implications not only for bilateral relations but also for regional stability. With violence escalating in Pakistan’s border provinces, Islamabad is signaling that it will take a harder line, even if it means forcibly removing entire communities.

The international community has largely remained on the sidelines, issuing statements of concern but taking little concrete action. Human rights organizations, including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, have called for Pakistan to halt the deportations and respect international refugee protections. But so far, Islamabad appears unmoved.

A humanitarian crisis in the making

As Pakistan pushes ahead with its Afghan deportations, the fate of hundreds of thousands hangs in the balance. The scale of the crisis is immense — with nearly three million Afghans having taken refuge in Pakistan over the past four decades, according to UN estimates.

For many, Pakistan was the only home they ever knew. Now, they are being forced to return to a country that remains under authoritarian rule, with little chance for progress or safety.

Without intervention or a drastic change in policy, the second phase of deportations is likely to continue at full speed through the end of April — and possibly beyond. The consequences for regional stability, human rights, and diplomatic relations could be long-lasting.