Diplomats from Afghanistan’s ruling Taliban reported Wednesday that neighboring Pakistan is implementing a plan for the “imminent” and swift mass deportation of nearly three million Afghan refugees from its territory.
The Taliban-operated embassy in Islamabad issued the statement, ending days of uncertainty about an ongoing police crackdown to arrest and remove Afghan citizens, including legal refugees, from the Pakistani capital and the adjoining city of Rawalpindi.
The Afghan diplomatic mission stated that Pakistan did not formally notify Kabul about its latest refugee deportation plans. It added that several attempts were made through diplomatic channels to seek clarification from the host government regarding the reasons behind the detentions and removals of Afghan nationals from the two cities.
“Ultimately, officials from Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed that there is a definitive and final plan to deport/remove all Afghan refugees not only from Islamabad and Rawalpindi but also from the entire country in the near future,” the Wednesday statement noted.
The Taliban reaction comes nearly three weeks after Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif approved a multistage plan targeting the Afghan refugee population in the country. They include more than 1.4 million legally declared refugees with UNHCR-granted proof of registration cards, or PoRs, who have been granted permission by Pakistan to remain in the country until June 30, 2025.
The rest of the population in question comprises nearly 900,000 documented economic migrants holding the Afghan Citizenship Card (ACC), an estimated 40,000 awaiting promised relocation to the United States or other Western countries, and individuals living in Pakistan without legal status or having exceeded their visa duration.
The Taliban embassy stated Wednesday that Pakistani officials informed it that only Afghan nationals with valid legal visas would be permitted to reside in Islamabad and Rawalpindi.
“They further stated that the government has decided to immediately remove all Afghan refugees, including those holding ACC and PoR cards, from Islamabad and Rawalpindi and that their expulsion from the entire country is imminent,” the statement added.
The UNHCR has meanwhile also confirmed that the Pakistani government plans to relocate all Afghan refugees out of Islamabad and Rawalpindi by February 28, except for holders of valid visas.
The Afghan embassy noted that it expressed “serious concerns” to Islamabad and international organizations regarding “the mass expulsion of Afghan refugees within such a short timeframe and the unilateral nature of Pakistan’s decision.”
The spokesperson for the Pakistani Foreign Ministry rejected the Taliban embassy's claims of mistreatment of Afghan nationals during the repatriation process as misplaced. “In this connection, we also extensively engaged the Afghan side to ensure smooth repatriation of Afghan nationals,” Shafqat Ali Khan stated in a brief statement.
The deportation plan, seen by VOA, requires authorities to relocate around 40,000 Afghans out of Islamabad and Rawalpindi by March 31 and subsequently arrange for their repatriation to Afghanistan if their relocation and resettlement cases to third countries are not processed expeditiously. These individuals fled their country after the Taliban militarily recaptured its control in 2021, primarily seeking shelter from potential retribution due to their affiliations with the U.S. and NATO forces.
Last month, President Donald Trump halted the U.S. Refugee Admission Program to assess whether reinstating it serves the interests of Washington, stranding thousands of Afghan allies in Pakistan approved for, or being evaluated for, relocation to the U.S.
The UNHCR says that more than 825,000 undocumented Afghans have already been forcibly repatriated from Pakistan since 2023, resulting from a government crackdown on foreigners living in the country without legal permission or whose visas had expired.
Islamabad has defended the crackdown, attributing a recent rise in crime in Pakistan and increased militancy to Afghan nationals.
