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2w ago

Pakistan to Repatriate Over 1.3 Million Afghan Refugees From Sept. 1

UNHCR warns that forced returns breach non-refoulement obligations under international law

Trucks transporting Afghan nationals, who were expelled from Pakistan, are parked as refugees wait for registration at the Omari refugee camp in Mohmand Dara, Torkham border, Nangarhar province, Afghanistan, April 15, 2025. REUTERS/Hedyatshah Hedayat/File Photo
FILE - Afghan refugee children play next to trucks loaded with their family's belongings as they wait to return Afghanistan along a highway in Landi Kotal, Pakistan, April 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Muhammad Sajjad, File)

Overview

  • Proof of Registration cards expired on June 30, making 1.3 million Afghan holders unlawful and prompting voluntary returns now with formal deportations from September 1.
  • An August 4 Interior Ministry letter directed provinces to map former PoR holders and set up transit areas for repatriation with support from NADRA and the Federal Investigation Agency.
  • Officials say about 800,000 Afghans have already returned under the Illegal Foreigners Repatriation Plan since late 2023.
  • UNHCR reports that arrests and expulsions of registered Afghan refugees began in early August, a move it says breaches non-refoulement obligations.
  • The UN agency warns that hasty, forced returns deepen protection risks for women, girls and other vulnerable groups and could destabilize Afghanistan and the wider region.