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Hundreds of thousands of Afghans in Pakistan face forcible deportation even after they were officially registered – including women, journalists and others especially vulnerable to repression by Afghanistan’s Taliban government

ZARA BIBI, a 29-year-old resident of Karachi Malir, in Pakistan’s Sindh province, is deeply frightened by the possibility of their family being deported. Bibi’s family, originally from Afghanistan, hold Afghan Citizen Cards (ACC), issued by the Pakistan government in 2017 during a drive to provide documentation to unregistered Afghan migrants. As such, they hoped that they would not be forced to leave Sindh when Pakistan first announced its intention to deport all “undocumented” Afghan migrants by the end of October 2023. But those hopes were short-lived, as Zara’s husband was detained by the police in Karachi despite holding an ACC. 

“My spouse was arrested unlawfully, and we had a difficult time getting him released,” Bibi recounted. While the family was eventually able to secure his release, news of a fresh wave of deportations shattered their illusions of safety. “We are so worried about what we are going to do in Afghanistan as we are born and raised here.” 

Zara Bibi is not alone in her concerns. Last year, Pakistan carried out a first wave of deportations of Afghans living in the country, thought to number some 4 million in total. At least 515, 000 people returned to Afghanistan between September 2023 and February 2024, according to the International Organization for Migration. The fresh wave of deportations, set to begin after 15 April, will impact as many as 880,000 refugees who received ACCs in 2017. Of these, women are particularly at risk once they return to Afghanistan, where the Taliban government is imposing increasing restrictions on women’s freedoms, including their rights to work, receive an education and enter public spaces.

“The announcements of deportations in various phases worsen the existing unstable circumstances of Afghan refugees in Pakistan and risk their lives,” MonizaKakar, a lawyer and refugee advocate, said. She added that journalists and musicians also face serious risks upon returning to Afghanistan given Taliban-imposed restrictions on press freedom and music, considered to be un-Islamic by the regime.

Pakistani authorities have justified the deportations by pointing to rising crossborder militant attacks, mostly linked to the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), an affiliate of the Afghan Taliban. Pakistan has repeatedly attributed the attacks to Afghan nationals and complained that the TTP enjoys a safe haven in Afghanistan. There are also wider geopolitical factors in play, as Pakistan’s relationship with the Afghan Taliban continues to fray.

As Kakar noted, the fresh wave of deportations is also targeting those who have registered with Pakistani officials, and the fate of Proof of Registration (PoR) card-holders hangs in the balance. The PoR card is considered an identity document allowing the holder to remain in Pakistan legally. Pakistan’s government abruptly stopped renewing PoR cards after June 2023, then renewed them only in November with no explanation for the delay. As the political scientist Sanaa Alimia told HimalSouthasian shortly after the first wave of deportations, the lack of clarity on who is considered an undocumented migrant has allowed law-enforcement agencies to act with impunity. Registered cardholders were among those coerced to return to Afghanistan during the first wave of deportations, the international non-profit Human Rights Watch reported, and the police often confiscated or destroyed PoR cards during raids. It has already been reported that any PoR cardholders remaining in Pakistan will be targeted in a planned third phase of deportations. On 1 April, 2024, Pakistan extended the validity of Afghan’s PoR cards until 30 June, to allow them to have access to schools, bank accounts and other facilities, while still noting that it plans to push ahead with plans to deport PoR cardholders. 

Mia Allah Amir, a 44-year-old resident of a refugee camp in Kohat, in Khyber Pakhtunkhwah Province, and the holder of a Proof of Registration (POR) card, has devoted himself to operating schools for Afghan refugees on a voluntary basis. Born and raised in Pakistan, Mia has tirelessly worked for the interest of his fellow Afghans in the country, yet he, like his children and grandchildren, continues to be identified as a “refugee”.

“I was born here, my children were born here, and now my grandchildren, yet we are still refugees,” he said. “Till when are we going to have this identity? Aren’t we citizens of Pakistan, having lived our entire lives here?”

Mia also spoke of the impact that the news of the deportations has had on the Afghan community in Pakistan. With each announcement, more families’ hopes are devastated, leaving them in a state of uncertainty. He urged the government to review its stance on deportations, recognise the contributions of Afghans who had spent their entire lives in Pakistan, and draft laws to protect them.

AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL has strongly condemned the mass deportations, calling them a violation of refugee rights and international human-rights law as well as a threat to the lives of Afghan refugees. A Joint Action Committee for Refugees has also issued a press statement, endorsed by a coalition of human-rights advocates, organisations, academics and legal experts, demanding an urgent stop to the repatriation of Afghan refugees. But these pleas have fallen on deaf ears. 

Qaiser Khan Afridi, a spokesperson for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees said that his organisation was negotiating with the Pakistan government and urging the establishment of a screening mechanism to identify individuals who would face risks if they were forcibly repatriated to Afghanistan. 

While acknowledging that Pakistan was dealing with security concerns and economic difficulties – the Pakistan government has also pointed to the financial burden it bears to host Afghans on its soil, even as it faces an economic crisis – Afridi said that humanitarian concerns should take precedence over political considerations. 

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However, Muhammad Abbas Khan, Pakistan’s Chief Commissioner for Afghan Refugees said that the government is firm in continuing with the second phase of deportations – even amid ongoing consultations with stakeholders, including the UN, facilitated by the Ministry of States and Frontier Regions. Khan maintained that Pakistan will carry out “thorough consultations” to address the concerns raised by Afghan migrants. 

“The government is fully committed to this policy, with a clear directive for voluntary return by the announced deadline,” Khan said. “The same processes that are used for illegal Afghan people will be started if a voluntary return is not made.”

The news of possible deportations has “completely upended” the lives of refugees, 45-year-old Malik MujahidShinwari, a community leader from the Ghamkol refugee camp in Kohat and an ACC holder, said. “Many other Afghans came to Pakistan and, like us, built their lives from nothing through hard work. There are Afghans who have built businesses worth crores.” As a community leader, Shinwari, who was born in Pakistan, serves as a mediator for deported Afghan nationals who frequently contact him for assistance. 

A KEY ASPECT of the deportations is that many refugees have been forced to leave their possessions behind – often including vehicles, companies and other assets amassed through years of hard work. Afghan refugees are unable to legally register properties and businesses in Pakistan, often requiring help from Pakistani partners to do so. The government of Pakistan has allowed those being deported to take just PKR 50,000 with them – roughly USD 179 – forcing many to sell off their assets at reduced prices or to give up on recovering money loaned to friends. 

AlauddinKhilji, a provincial head of the women’s rights group Aurat Foundation and a member of Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, noted that this meant that families who had lived in Pakistan for generations were now being displaced with very few assets to their name. Khilji drew attention to the predicament of those who had lived in Pakistan for generations yet were still unable to obtain Pakistani citizenship because the country does not currently have legislation to protect refugees, leading to violations of human rights. “We are always available to assist in drafting amendments,” Khilji said, but because of “the lack of government interest, as it’s not their priority, we still don’t have proper refugee laws.”

There is also an ongoing legal debate over whether Afghan men married to Pakistani women are entitled to become citizens of Pakistan. In June 2023, the Peshawar High Court granted citizenship rights to four Afghan men married to Pakistani women. In October, the court called on Pakistan’s interior ministry to decide on an Afghan man’s plea for citizenship, arguing that Pakistan’s Citizenship Act was discriminatory. But not every refugee is able to go to court. Shinwari and his family are unable to become citizens even though Shinwari’s mother was a Pakistan citizen, as are his two wives. As he talked about the uncertain future for his family, Shinwari’s sorrow deepened. “I fear for my daughters’ dreams in Afghanistan as they wouldn’t be able to continue their education,” he said. 

Several refugee-rights advocates, including MonizaKakar, have filed petitions in the Supreme Court of Pakistan challenging the deportation policy, and have requested an urgent hearing. They also filed a letter for an urgent hearing in the Sindh High Court, though it refused to issue notices on the petition after noting that it could not interfere in “policy matters”. 

Kakar, based on her observations on regular visits to impacted communities, pointed out how urgent the situation is for Afghan refugees. “Women frequently complain to me about the negative impact deportation pressures have had on their health during my consultations,” she said. “They talk about how the stress and uncertainty of being deported has caused them to get sick.” What’s more, “family members have become despondent and even aggressive, dealing with the prospect of leaving everything behind and the uncertainty of their future.”

Zara Bibi vividly recalled the mistreatment inflicted upon Afghans by the Pakistan government during the recent expulsion of those without legal status. She now fears that she may soon experience the same treatment and be forcibly deported by Pakistan, a place she has always called home. 

Jamaima Afridi is a freelance journalist and documentary filmmaker based in Khyber Pakhtunkhwah. She reports on human rights in conflict areas across Pakistan.

This article was originally published on Himal South Asia.
Views in this article are author’s own and do not necessarily reflect CGS policy.