Afghan refugees return home as Pakistan threatens arrests, expulsions

Officials in Pakistan say tens of thousands of Afghan nationals have left the country, returning to Afghanistan this month following a government deadline for foreigners without documentation to leave by November 1 or face deportation.

Islamabad announced the deadline in early October, saying an estimated 1.7 million Afghans are among the foreigners being asked to return to their native countries for lacking documentation or overstaying their visas.

The Pakistani government has vowed to arrest and deport in "a phased and orderly manner" those who fail to comply.

Official sources said that, as of Friday, almost 52,000 men, women, and children had returned to Afghanistan — and numerous families in various parts of Pakistan, including its largest city, Karachi — were boarding trucks and buses to head to the Afghan border.

On Thursday alone, more than 3,000 Afghans went back to their country, according to state-run Pakistani television.

Calls to halt expulsion

Islamabad has disregarded domestic and calls by the United Nations to not force out Afghans seeking refuge, warning it could expose many families to persecution and other abuse by the country's de facto Taliban rulers.

On Thursday, the United States joined the international calls, stressing the need for Pakistan and other nations to uphold their obligations to help refugees and asylum-seekers.

U.S. State Department spokesperson Mathew Miller made the statement at his regular news conference when asked for a response to the forcible expulsion of Afghans from Pakistan and Iran.

"We strongly encourage Afghanistan's neighbors, including Pakistan, to allow entry for Afghans seeking international protection and to coordinate with international humanitarian organizations such as UNHCR and IOM [International Organization for Migration] to provide humanitarian assistance," Miller said.

The Taliban have called on Pakistan to suspend the expulsion of Afghans, decrying it as unacceptable.

However, they have set up special camps on the Afghan side of the border to provide immediate shelter, health, food, and financial aid to families returning from the neighboring country.

Pakistani officials have clarified that the nationwide crackdown is not targeting 1.4 million legally registered Afghan refugees and nearly 900,000 others holding Afghan citizenship cards.

The government has instructed law enforcement agencies not to harass Afghans living legally in the country, though Taliban officials and refugees have alleged police abuses, mistreatment, and extortions.

Afghans fled, seeking safety

The Taliban's return to power as U.S.-led international troops withdrew in August 2021 prompted tens of thousands of people to flee to Pakistan, fearing retribution for their association with Western forces during their two decades of presence in Afghanistan.

They included human rights defenders, U.S.-backed former Afghan government officials, professionals, female activists, and journalists.

Many have since been relocated to the U.S. and other Western allies while thousands are awaiting the processing of their applications for U.S. Special Immigration Visas or resettlement in the United States as refugees.

A female refugee facing deportation told VOA that she left Taliban-ruled Afghanistan last year and moved to Pakistan for her family's safety. The mother of three asked VOA to call her by the name Haleema to protect her identity.

"My husband was a journalist there. He worked for Americans, so we cannot go back because his life would be in danger there," Haleema said, claiming their visa renewal request was denied.

"When I go outside, I am lost in my thoughts because I don't have a visa, my husband doesn't have a visa. What should we do? If the police come and arrest him, what will I do with my three children?"

Haleema said their lives "are ruined" because they face danger in Afghanistan and are now being threatened in Pakistan.

Taliban officials deny charges of persecution against anyone intending to return to Afghanistan, citing their general amnesty for all Afghans, including those associated with Western forces.

On Tuesday, a group of 80 former American officials, U.S. resettlement organizations, and other individuals urged Pakistan to exempt from detention or deportation thousands of Afghans awaiting the processing of their applications, saying they "face significant risks" if repatriated.

"To deport them back to an environment where their lives would be in jeopardy runs counter to humanitarian principles and international accords" signed by Pakistan, read an open letter inked by the group and sent to the Pakistani Embassy in Washington.

The Taliban have imposed their strict interpretation of Islamic law, barring teenage girls from receiving an education and many women from work across Afghanistan.