ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — Afghan migrants in Pakistan have raised concerns over what they describe as escalating mistreatment and forced deportations by Pakistani security forces.
Migrants report that police have intensified house-to-house searches, arresting and deporting Afghan citizens under various pretexts, often targeting even those with valid visas.
In the Barako and B-17 areas of Islamabad, Afghan migrants shared videos of security forces conducting raids on their homes. Witnesses described a climate of fear as authorities detain individuals without due process.
“Yesterday, my brother was arrested in our neighborhood,” said Gulthum Kamyar, an Afghan migrant in Pakistan. “He had to pay the police to secure his release, and today the police are at our doorstep.”
Raheema, another Afghan migrant in Islamabad, said the raids are increasingly indiscriminate. “The forced deportation process has intensified,” she said. “Yesterday, the police took about 35 people from Barako, and today they came again. They’re taking more people, even those with valid visas.”
A surge in deportations
The forced deportations come amid heightened tensions between Pakistan and its Afghan refugee population, many of whom fled to Pakistan following the Taliban’s return to power in 2021.
According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), nearly 800,000 Afghan nationals returned to Afghanistan from Pakistan between September 15, 2023, and December 15, 2024. Many of those deported describe enduring harassment and extortion by local authorities before being forced to leave.
The crackdown has drawn criticism from human rights groups and international organizations, which warn of the risks faced by Afghan returnees. Many deported migrants return to a homeland grappling with widespread poverty, lack of basic services, and restrictive Taliban policies that disproportionately affect women and vulnerable groups.
The Pakistani government has defended its actions, citing security concerns and the challenges of hosting a large refugee population. However, Afghan migrants say the situation has become untenable, with the raids creating an atmosphere of fear and uncertainty for families trying to rebuild their lives.
