ISLAMABAD — More than 24,000 Afghans have left Pakistan since April 1, including over 10,700 who were forcibly deported, according to the United Nations refugee agency, as reported by AFP.
The departures mark the second phase of Pakistan’s sweeping deportation campaign targeting Afghan migrants, including those who previously held ACC (Afghan Citizen Card) residency documents, which were recently invalidated. The initiative follows a first round of mass deportations in 2023 that saw nearly 800,000 undocumented Afghans expelled from the country.
Authorities say the current effort targets an estimated 800,000 Afghan nationals. Police warnings have extended beyond migrant communities to Pakistani landlords who rent homes to Afghans.
“The timing and manner of their deportation indicates it is part of Pakistan’s policy of mounting pressure on the Taliban,” said Maleeha Lodhi, Pakistan’s former ambassador to the United Nations. “This should have been done in a humane, voluntary and gradual way.”
Rights organizations have raised concerns over the campaign. Amnesty International has urged the Pakistani government to immediately halt the deportations, calling them a violation of the country’s international obligations and a threat to the safety of those being returned.
