Pakistan Ramps Up Afghan Deportations, Forcing Thousands Back to Uncertain Futures
Pakistan is accelerating its expulsion of Afghan nationals, with more than 19,500 Afghans deported in April 2025 alone—part of a sweeping government crackdown on undocumented migrants and expired residency holders. The United Nations reports over 80,000 Afghans have already returned, ahead of an April 30 deadline.
With up to 2 million people expected to be pushed out in the coming months, the move is triggering widespread concern over humanitarian fallout and strained infrastructure in Taliban-run Afghanistan.
“I Was Born in Pakistan. Now I’m Being Forced Out.”
For many, the expulsion is not just a relocation—it’s a displacement from the only home they’ve ever known.
Sayed Rahman, a second-generation refugee, shared his heartbreak at the Torkham border crossing, saying, “I lived my whole life in Pakistan. I got married there. What am I supposed to do now?”
Thousands of families now face similar questions as they await transport at the border in sweltering 30°C heat, many with young children and elderly parents. With few belongings allowed through and shelter resources stretched thin, emotions are high and frustration is mounting.
Education Halted, Dreams Crushed
Among the deportees is Saleh, a father of three daughters, deeply worried about what life under Taliban restrictions means for their future. In Pakistan’s Punjab province, his daughters attended school freely—an opportunity that may be lost now that girls over 12 are banned from education in Afghanistan.
“I want my children to study,” he said. “Everyone has the right to an education.”
Others, like Saleh, voiced concerns about starting from scratch in a country ravaged by war and economic instability. “Our kids have never even seen Afghanistan,” one father explained. “We’re walking into the unknown.”
Tensions Rise Between Pakistan and Afghanistan
The mass deportation drive comes amid growing diplomatic strain. Pakistan claims Afghan-based militants are behind recent border clashes—a claim the Taliban denies. Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar flew to Kabul over the weekend for talks, met with concern by his Afghan counterpart, Amir Khan Muttaqi.
Despite talks, Taliban officials remain overwhelmed, admitting that their fragile systems are unprepared to absorb the return of hundreds of thousands, many of whom have no homes or jobs to return to.
Limited Support for Returnees
At the border camps, Afghanistan’s interim authorities are offering financial aid ranging from 4,000 to 10,000 Afghanis (£41–£104) per family. Still, aid agencies warn this is far from sufficient given the economic collapse and resource shortages the country is currently facing.
Meanwhile, human rights groups accuse Pakistani border officials of restricting deportees from taking their belongings—an allegation Islamabad denies. However, visuals from the crossing paint a grim picture: elderly people carried on stretchers, children crying, and families huddled under makeshift shelters.
A Humanitarian Crisis in the Making
With more than 3.5 million Afghans living in Pakistan—nearly half of them undocumented—the situation is quickly becoming one of the largest forced returns in recent memory.
As thousands more brace for expulsion before the deadline, the world watches a deepening humanitarian crisis unfold.
“Now we’ll never go back,” one deportee said, tears in his eyes. “Not after how we were treated.”
