Afghan Migrants Face Escalating Deportations in Pakistan Amid Tensions with Taliban

Tensions between Pakistan and the Taliban have increased, leading to a sharp rise in the detention and expulsion of Afghan migrants in Pakistan in recent weeks. This has left tens of thousands of migrants in legal uncertainty and humanitarian difficulties.

Data from the Taliban commission for refugees indicates that more than 21,000 migrants have been deported by Pakistan in the past three days. The UN refugees agency reported that at least 35,000 migrants were deported from Iran and Pakistan during the past week.

Rights groups and families of displaced persons state that Afghan nationals are encountering growing restrictions, such as a stop to visa renewals, prohibitions on renting housing, and extended delays in processing asylum applications and resettlement cases to third countries.

"Everything has stopped," said one Afghan migrant in Islamabad who requested anonymity due to fear of deportation. "We are being told we can’t extend our visas, we can’t rent homes, and we don’t know what’s happening with our cases. It’s making life unbearable."

The Pakistani government has not issued a formal response to the increasing complaints from Afghan migrants, but the tightening of policies seems to follow a series of militant attacks in Pakistan that officials attribute to groups based in Afghanistan.

In July, Pakistani authorities initiated the third phase of a national repatriation plan aimed at undocumented Afghans, which builds on previous orders from January and April that required the eviction and removal of migrants from major cities including Islamabad and Rawalpindi.

After deadly suicide bombings at a military academy in South Waziristan and in Islamabad earlier this year—attacks that Pakistan states were conducted by Afghan nationals—the government strengthened its measures, arresting hundreds and speeding up deportations.

In Kabul, Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi condemned the treatment of Afghan refugees as "inhumane," without directly mentioning Pakistan. During a high-level coordination meeting with UN agencies and sectoral ministries, Muttaqi stated that some countries are using refugees for political ends.

"In this harsh winter, Afghan refugees are forcibly evicted from their homes and denied reentry at the border," Muttaqi said. "Is this not a clear violation of international refugee principles? Is this not severe injustice toward women, children, and the elderly?"

Human rights advocates have raised concerns about the worsening conditions for Afghan refugees in Pakistan and have criticized the limited response from international organizations.

"This is a devastating situation for all Afghan refugees," said Humaira Farhang, a rights activist based in Islamabad. "Returning is not an option for many of them. Yet, UNHCR—their only hope—is doing almost nothing. Cases aren’t moving, and people feel abandoned."

The International Organization for Migration reports that more than 1.72 million Afghans have returned from Pakistan—many under pressure—between September 15, 2023, and November 8, 2025, representing a notable increase from prior years.

Pakistan justifies its actions as essential for national security, while critics argue that the policy is disproportionate.