Thousands of Afghans living in Pakistan, many of whom fled after the Taliban took control of Afghanistan in 2021, now face an uncertain future under Pakistan’s renewed Illegal Foreigners Repatriation Plan. The nationwide crackdown, revived in late 2023, targets undocumented Afghan refugees, with detentions and deportations escalating sharply this year.

According to Khaama Press, over 144,000 Afghans returned to Afghanistan in April alone — nearly 30,000 of them deported. Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has extended enforcement to major cities, including Islamabad and Karachi, where police raids have led to Afghan families being sent to deportation centers.

The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) has condemned the move as forced repatriation, violating international law. Vulnerable groups — including women, children, the elderly, people with disabilities, and professionals at risk — have been disproportionately affected. Afghan girls born and raised in Pakistan face an especially grim reality, as they are being sent to a country where the Taliban has banned girls’ education.

Elsa Imdad Hussain of the Centre for Research and Security Studies has urged the adoption of a humane, gender-sensitive refugee law — a proposal yet to receive government attention.

Returnees arrive in an Afghanistan grappling with economic collapse, climate crises, and humanitarian emergencies. Many families are now sheltering in tent settlements, with limited support from Taliban authorities. Afghan officials have accused Pakistan of using refugees as political leverage, while Taliban’s Acting Prime Minister Mullah Muhammad Hassan Akhund has called the policy a “cruel attitude.”

Despite holding Proof of Registration (PoR) cards valid until June, many Afghans report harassment, arrests, and closures of Afghan-owned businesses. Reports also indicate exploitation by local intermediaries profiting from the forced departures.