Migrant families in Pakistan say they are living with mounting anxiety as arrests and deportations have increased in recent weeks, with many fearing that relatives could be detained at any moment.
Some migrants say Pakistani police are detaining Afghan citizens, mistreating them and deporting them without allowing them to collect their belongings.
Several have also alleged that police demand money during the process, particularly in the aftermath of recent militant attacks in Pakistan, when pressure on Afghan communities has intensified.
“In our colony, everyone is at risk. They are arrested and taken to Haji Camp for deportation. Their human rights are violated,” said Nazir, an Afghan migrant in Pakistan.
“The situation in Pakistan is not suitable for Afghan migrants and is challenging. They barely go out of home. They use nights for going to the market,” said Fatima, another migrant.
Abdul Jabbar Takhari, the Taliban’s acting consul general in Pakistan, said in an interview that 105 Afghan citizens had recently been released from prisons in Sindh Province and returned to Afghanistan.
According to Takhari, the detainees — including women and children — had been held for about a month because of what he described as security-related issues along routes in Sindh and Balochistan provinces.
“They were detained for the past month,” he said, adding that their release followed efforts by the Taliban authorities.
Takhari said 62 Afghan citizens remain in detention in Sindh province.
The reports of arrests and deportations come amid strained relations between Pakistan and the Taliban. Pakistani officials have previously said that security concerns have prompted stricter enforcement measures, while Afghan migrants say they are bearing the brunt of those tensions.
Figures compiled by Amu TV from Taliban statements show that at least 19,000 migrants were deported by Pakistan over the past week, followed by around 12,000 returnees in its previous week.
For many migrant families in Pakistan, the uncertainty has become part of daily life — a persistent fear that the next knock on the door could mean detention and expulsion, particularly in the Faisal Town, a migrants’ colony in Islamabad.
