ISLAMABAD: Over 100,000 Afghans have left Pakistan in the past three weeks, according to the interior ministry, after the government canceled many residence permits. A private media report said the government started its deportation campaign on April 1, 2025.
Analysts suggest the deportations aim to pressure Afghanistan’s Taliban authorities, whom Pakistan blames for increased border attacks.
The interior ministry reported that 100,529 Afghans left in April. Since the April deadline passed, Afghan families have been heading to the border, entering Afghanistan, which faces a humanitarian crisis.
“I was born in Pakistan and have never been to Afghanistan,” said 27-year-old Allah Rahman at the Torkham border on Saturday. “I was worried the police might trouble my family. Now we’re going to Afghanistan because we have no choice.”
Afghanistan’s Prime Minister Hasan Akhund criticized Pakistan’s actions on Saturday, calling them “unilateral.” This came after Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar visited Kabul to discuss the returns. Akhund asked Pakistan to ensure Afghan refugees return with dignity.
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Many Afghans are leaving voluntarily to avoid deportation. The UN refugee agency (UNHCR) reported 12,948 arrests and detentions in Pakistan in April, more than in all of last year.
Pakistan saw its deadliest year in a decade last year, the government often accuses Afghan nationals of involvement in attacks and claims Kabul allows militants to hide, which the Taliban denies.
Over decades, millions of Afghans have fled to Pakistan due to wars, including many since the Taliban’s return in 2021. Some Pakistanis feel frustrated hosting many Afghans as security and economic issues grow, and the deportation campaign has public support.
“They came for safety but took jobs and started businesses, taking work from Pakistanis who are struggling,” said 41-year-old hairdresser Tanveer Ahmad to private media.
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The UNHCR said over half of those deported are children. Women and girls returning face restrictions in Afghanistan, including bans on education beyond secondary school and limits on work.
In 2023, the first phase of deportations sent hundreds of thousands of undocumented Afghans back. In March, the second phase canceled permits for over 800,000 Afghans and ordered thousands awaiting relocation to leave by April’s end.
