ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — A group of Afghan refugees awaiting resettlement in the United States has appealed to Pakistan’s prime minister to halt mass deportations of Afghans and to simplify the visa extension process for those legally residing in the country.
In an open letter addressed to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and shared on social media, the group — identifying itself as Afghan Refugees Awaiting U.S. Resettlement in Pakistan — urged the government to “immediately halt the deportation of Afghans who have pending or approved visa applications for entry into the United States or accepted referrals into the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP),” according to reporting by Dawn.
The appeal comes as Pakistani authorities have set a March 31 deadline for Afghan migrants in Islamabad and Rawalpindi to leave the country. Afghans holding Afghan Citizen Cards have been ordered to depart by that date, while those registered with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) are permitted to remain until June 30.
The letter warns that the deportation campaign could jeopardize the legal immigration pathways of individuals with pending U.S. Special Immigrant Visas (SIVs), USRAP referrals, and Humanitarian Parole cases — many of whom, it says, are in the final stages of background checks.
“Many Afghans residing in Pakistan are in the late stages of exhaustive vetting processes and are awaiting U.S. visa or refugee status approval,” the letter reads. “Forcing them to return to Afghanistan would violate humanitarian principles and international agreements to which Pakistan is a signatory.”
The refugees called for exemptions from detention or deportation for individuals with verified immigration cases, and for a streamlined exit permit process to enable safe relocation to third countries without bureaucratic delays.
The group also highlighted the challenges of extending legal stay in Pakistan, citing high costs, shrinking extension periods, and punitive overstay penalties. The standard visa extension period, once three to six months, has reportedly been reduced to one month, at a cost of 20,000 rupees (approximately $100). For minors under 18, the letter noted, overstay fines include a 50 percent surcharge with no exemption.
The signatories urged Pakistan’s leadership to recognize that the forced removal of vulnerable individuals would breach international norms, particularly the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.
