Afghan refugees returning to Afghanistan

April 15, 2025, CHAMAN, Pakistan: With over 60,000 Afghan refugees crossing the border back into Afghanistan since the start of April, Pakistan has greatly intensified the expulsion of Afghan refugees.

The United Nations’ International Organisation for Migration (IOM) confirms this surge, which is part of a comprehensive national policy aimed at eradicating illegal immigrants from the nation.

A Renewed Crackdown

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif originally revealed in October 2023 a larger three-phase plan including mass deportation. The second phase now focuses on the estimated three million Afghan nationals living in Pakistan, many of whom have spent decades there. Along important border points like Torkham and Spin Boldak, the Pakistani government has stepped up enforcement actions, guiding an increasing number of families back to a homeland they could hardly recognise.

The Figures Speak to the Story

Between April 1 and April 13 alone, over 60,000 Afghans faced compulsion to return. Already helping nearly a million Afghans from both Pakistan and Iran to return, the IOM warns that the present rate of deportations is taxing resources both inside Afghanistan and at the border.

“With a new wave of huge returns now underway from Pakistan, needs on the ground are rising rapidly,” said Mihyung Park, Chief of IOM’s Mission in Afghanistan. “Neither the border nor the return zones can handle the flood.”

a legal grey area

The lack of a proper refugee protection system in Pakistan is one of the main causes driving this catastrophe. The nation lacks national rules for the identification or protection of refugees and has not ratified the 1951 UN Refugee Convention. Many long-time Afghan citizens—including professionals and students—find themselves exposed to forcible exile without legal recourse.

Focussing on holders of the Afghan Citizen Card

Afghan Citizen Cards (ACC) are held by about 800,000 Afghans living in Pakistan; they once allowed for temporary stay. But in March 2025, the Pakistani government granted them until early April to depart the nation willingly. That deadline has come and gone, setting scenes hauntingly similar to those from late 2023: families lugging their lives in trucks, waiting in huge queues under difficult conditions, unsure of what awaits them across the border.

Human Impact and Growing Issues

The effects of these compelled returns are profoundly human rather than only practical. Among the many deportees are professionals, women, children, and senior citizens. Among the deported are Freshta Sadid, an Afghan journalist sent back even though she had a valid exit ticket. Given allegations that she is on a Taliban assassination list, her safety is now really seriously threatened.

Human rights activists alerting others include the Joint Action Committee for Refugees. One spokesman cautioned, “This is not just a policy failure—it’s a humanitarian emergency.”

Story of Security Against Human Rights

The government of Pakistan links the Afghan community with Pakistan’s growing internal turmoil to defend these deportations. Officials assert that some extremist groups committing acts of violence in Pakistan have links to agents based in Afghanistan. Declaring that their area is not being used for hostile actions, the Taliban government in Kabul vehemently refutes these accusations.

A faltering Afghanistan

The fact that Afghanistan, under Taliban control and experiencing continuous insecurity, is not suited to help the unexpected inflow is, maybe most concerning. Basic services, including shelter, food, clean water, and healthcare, are sometimes lacking in the places drawing returning citizens.

Globally, the community responds slowly.

To handle the issue, the UN and humanitarian groups are advocating increased worldwide support. Park observes that the urgency of the situation is pressing. Before this spirals further, we need money, supplies, and worldwide attention.

Not There a Path Forward?

Deported Afghans find themselves in a dismal state without legal recognition or rights in Pakistan and with inadequate support structures in Afghanistan. Families are split apart, professions thrown off, and lives put in immediate danger while the world watches.

Finally

Increased deportations of Afghan refugees by Pakistan—now confirmed by the UN—signal more than only a change in state policy. Rooted in law, policy, and regional instability, they signal a worsening humanitarian crisis. International players have a clear decision to make when thousands of people are pushed across the border, usually into the unknown: intervene to assist or observe a vulnerable population fall through the gaps. The time to act is right now.

1. Why is Pakistan currently deporting Afghan refugees?
Pakistan is implementing a three-phase nationwide crackdown on illegal immigrants. Today, the second phase targets Afghan nationals who are citing security issues and lack of legal papers.

2. How many Afghan refugees have you deported recently?
Between April 1 and April 13, 2025, the UN’s IOM reported that over 60,000 Afghans were deported from Pakistan.

3. In what way may the United Nations help with this crisis?
The UN is tracking deportations, offering assistance at border crossings, and advocating international support for returns, particularly through the IOM.

4. Does Pakistan provide any legal defense for Afghan refugees?
Not yet. Pakistan lacks local refugee laws and has not ratified the 1951 UN Refugee Convention, therefore depriving many Afghans of legal defence.

5. Are there any humanitarian dangers involved?
Deported Afghans live in appalling circumstances both in Afghanistan and at the border. Many lack food, housing, and basic services. Furthermore, major safety issues exist, especially for activists and reporters.

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