Two Afghan migrants recently deported from Pakistan have shared harrowing accounts of life after their forced return, detailing family separations and dire living conditions. One of the deportees, now in Kabul, said he is living in hiding for fear of repercussions.
Ahmad (a pseudonym), who had been living in Pakistan without a visa, told Amu that he and his brother were arrested by Pakistani police last week and deported after spending a day in police custody and two nights in a detention camp known as “Haji Camp.”
“We were detained in our home in Islamabad at 10 a.m. because we didn’t have proper documents,” Ahmad said. “We had United Nations refugee cards, but the police didn’t accept them. My father had a visa, but the police took us from our home, separated us, and threw us into a vehicle.”
Ahmad, who spent four months in Pakistan, said the deportation order has left his family divided. “My brother and I are now in Kabul, living in hiding and under terrible conditions,” he said. “The rest of our family is still in Islamabad. Many families are split up like this, with some members sent back to Afghanistan and others left behind in Pakistan.”
Ahmad also noted that some deported individuals face persecution in Afghanistan, particularly those with ties to the previous government.
Another deportee, Behzad, recounted a similar experience of arrest and deportation. He said Pakistani police in Islamabad demanded 50,000 rupees (approximately $170) from his family, threatening deportation if the money was not paid.
“We could only gather 5,000 rupees, but they refused to take it,” Behzad said. “The police forcibly removed us from our home, treated us poorly, and then deported us to Afghanistan.”
Deportations come amid an intensified crackdown by Pakistani authorities on undocumented Afghan migrants. Afghan refugees in Pakistan have appealed to the United Nations for immediate intervention, citing arbitrary arrests and the severe impact on their lives.
According to reports from deportees, police operations targeting Afghans continued as recently as Thursday in areas of Islamabad such as B-17 and G-9.
The Taliban claim that in the past week alone, Pakistani police have detained at least 1,000 Afghan migrants, raising alarm among human rights advocates and migrant support organizations.
