Human Rights Watch says that thousands of Afghans could be condemned to a life of persecution and extreme poverty if the international community fails to act on time to protect those most at risk.
The global human rights watchdog body, Human Rights Watch (HRW), has issued a stark warning about the mass forced deportation of Afghan refugees from Pakistan, stating that these returns will expose them to persecution under the Taliban regime and push them into severe economic destitution.
According to HRW, Pakistan’s government has accelerated its deportation campaign against Afghan refugees, many of whom have lived in the country for decades. Since late 2023, over 800,000 Afghans have been forced out of Pakistan, a move that has been widely condemned by international human rights groups and humanitarian organizations.
The policy of forced deportations, announced by Pakistani authorities in October 2023, required all undocumented Afghan refugees to leave the country by November 1 of the same year. What was initially framed as a voluntary repatriation program quickly turned into a widespread crackdown, with Pakistani police and security forces reportedly engaging in harassment, arbitrary detentions, and extortion against Afghan families. Many refugees, fearing arrests and mistreatment, fled the country before the deadline, leaving behind their homes, businesses, and belongings.
HRW and other advocacy organizations have highlighted the grave dangers facing returnees. In Taliban-controlled Afghanistan, former government officials, journalists, activists, and women face significant threats, including arbitrary arrests, violence, and extreme restrictions on their rights and freedoms. Economic conditions in Afghanistan have also worsened dramatically, with soaring unemployment, food insecurity, and a collapsed healthcare system making survival a daily struggle for returnees. Despite these well-documented risks, Pakistan has continued its deportation policy, raising alarm among the international community and sparking urgent calls for the protection of Afghan refugees.
With Afghanistan in the grip of a humanitarian and human rights crisis, the forced return of vulnerable refugees only adds to the suffering, the organisation says. It also says that thousands of Afghans could be condemned to a life of persecution and extreme poverty if the international community fails to act on time to protect those most at risk.
A Growing Humanitarian Crisis
The forced return of Afghan refugees to Afghanistan has exacerbated an already dire humanitarian crisis. According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Afghanistan is struggling to support its returning citizens due to widespread poverty and a fragile economy. Many deported refugees have arrived in Afghanistan with little to no resources, no shelter, and no employment prospects. Families that had built lives in Pakistan over decades now find themselves in refugee camps or on the streets of Kabul and other major cities, with no access to humanitarian aid.
The situation is particularly dire for Afghan women and girls. Under Taliban rule, women have been banned from higher education, restricted from most forms of employment, and subjected to stringent social controls. Many deported Afghan women who had previously worked or studied in Pakistan now find themselves unable to leave their homes due to these oppressive laws. Female-headed households, especially widows and single mothers, face the worst hardships, as they have no means of financial support in Afghanistan’s restrictive environment.
Widespread Violations of Rights
HRW has documented numerous cases of abuses faced by Afghan refugees during the deportation process. Reports indicate that Pakistani authorities have engaged in physical intimidation, unlawful detentions, and confiscation of identity documents. Many Afghan families have been forced to pay hefty bribes to avoid detention, while others have been given only hours to pack their belongings before being loaded onto buses headed for the Afghan border.
Upon arrival in Afghanistan, returnees face new dangers. The Taliban government, despite assurances that returnees will be treated fairly, has been known to target former Afghan National Army members, civil servants, and journalists. Families arriving at the Torkham and Chaman border crossings have reported being left without food, water, or medical assistance, highlighting the complete lack of preparedness to handle the influx of deportees.
International Outcry and Pakistan’s Justification
The international community has strongly condemned Pakistan’s forced deportation policy. Amnesty International, the UNHCR, and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) have all called on Pakistan to immediately halt its mass expulsions, emphasizing that such actions violate international refugee protection laws. The principle of non-refoulement, enshrined in the 1951 Refugee Convention, prohibits governments from returning people to countries where they face persecution. Although Pakistan is not a signatory to the Refugee Convention, its actions have been widely criticized for disregarding basic human rights obligations.
The Pakistani government, however, has defended its policy, arguing that the country can no longer afford to host millions of Afghan refugees due to economic difficulties and security concerns. Officials claim that unregistered Afghan refugees pose a security risk, linking them to smuggling and criminal activities, though no substantial evidence has been provided to support these claims. The government has also suggested that international organizations should focus on improving conditions in Afghanistan rather than pressuring Pakistan to continue hosting refugees indefinitely.
The Impact on Resettlement Programs
For thousands of Afghan refugees awaiting resettlement in third countries, including the United States, Pakistan’s mass deportations have thrown their futures into jeopardy. According to estimates, over 20,000 Afghans in Pakistan had already been approved for relocation under U.S. and other Western refugee programs. However, with deportations proceeding at an accelerated rate, many of these individuals now face uncertainty. The U.S. State Department and other Western governments have been urged to expedite resettlement processes and provide immediate protections to at-risk refugees still in Pakistan.
Many refugees had fled Afghanistan after the Taliban’s return in 2021, seeking temporary refuge in Pakistan while awaiting approval to relocate to Western countries. However, the slow processing of asylum and refugee applications has left many stranded, vulnerable to Pakistan’s harsh deportation policies. Advocacy groups have called on countries such as the United States, Canada, and Germany to increase their intake of Afghan refugees and to pressure Pakistan to halt further expulsions.
Personal Accounts of Struggle
The human toll of these forced returns is devastating. Abdul, a 38-year-old Afghan who had lived in Pakistan for over 20 years, was among those forcibly returned. Speaking to HRW, he described how Pakistani authorities gave his family only two days to leave their home in Karachi before they were sent to the Afghan border. Abdul had worked as a shopkeeper in Pakistan and had no means of livelihood in Afghanistan. “I have nothing here. I don’t know how I will feed my children,” he said, standing outside a makeshift shelter in Kabul.
For many, the deportation process has meant the loss of a lifetime’s worth of stability. Another refugee, Mariam, a former university student in Islamabad, was forced to abandon her studies and return to Afghanistan, where she now faces an uncertain future under Taliban rule. “In Pakistan, I had hope. Here, I have nothing,” she told HRW.
As the crisis deepens, HRW and other human rights organizations are urging Pakistan to immediately suspend further deportations and work with international agencies to provide legal pathways for Afghan refugees. The global community, particularly Western nations, is also being called upon to expedite asylum processing for Afghans facing threats to their safety.
