Tue Apr 01 02:28:12 UTC 2025: ## Pakistan to Deport 3 Million Afghans
**Peshawar, Pakistan –** Pakistan plans to expel approximately three million Afghan refugees this year, escalating a crackdown that has drawn international condemnation. A deadline for Afghans in Islamabad and Rawalpindi to voluntarily leave expired on March 31st, initiating the next phase of deportations, initially scheduled for April 1st but delayed until April 10th due to Eid al-Fitr.
While around 845,000 Afghans have already left Pakistan in the past 18 months, the government maintains that three million remain. These include those holding Proof of Registration cards (allowing them to stay until June 30th), Afghan Citizen Cards, and an estimated one million undocumented Afghans. Pakistan has asserted it will prevent deported Afghans from returning.
The expulsion plan has faced criticism from human rights groups, the Taliban government, and the United Nations. Afghan officials have accused Pakistan of acting arbitrarily, without consulting the UN refugee agency or the Afghan government. Concerns have been raised about the potential for increased anti-Pakistan sentiment and the logistical challenges facing Afghanistan in managing the influx of returning refugees.
The deportations will utilize two new transit stations in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. The process raises questions about the fate of children born in Pakistan to Afghan parents, mixed-status couples, and families with one Pakistani and one Afghan parent. While officials have indicated social welfare assistance will be provided for these cases, the details remain unclear.
The situation is further complicated by the pause in US refugee programs, leaving approximately 20,000 Afghans in limbo after being approved for resettlement. Stories of individuals like Omaid Khan, whose wife’s status differs from his, and Nazir Ahmed, born in Pakistan but facing deportation due to his father’s Afghan origin, highlight the human cost of this mass expulsion.
First Piper 