'Apprehend and Deport' : Government Issues Directive to Send Afghan Citizens Back Home

Islamabad (The Uttam Hindu): Pakistan's law enforcement agencies have been ordered to arrest and deport thousands of Afghan refugees. The government's deadline for Afghan Citizen Card (ACC) holders to leave the country expires on Monday. According to local media reports, all Afghan refugees, especially in Islamabad and Rawalpindi, have been ordered to be evacuated immediately. According to a report in Pakistan's leading daily 'Dawn', the Rawalpindi police chief directed the superintendents of Rawal, Potohar and Sadar divisions to take legal action against Afghan nationals living or working in the districts. A police officer told Dawn, "We have received instructions that all Afghan nationals holding ACC cards should be expelled from Rawalpindi and Islamabad."

In addition, the instructions said that Afghans holding Proof of Registration (POR) cards and living in both cities would have to leave Pakistan in line with government policy. The deadline for POR cardholders to leave the country is June 30, 2025. Philippa Candler, representative of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Pakistan, said on Sunday that the country's decision to expel hundreds of thousands of Afghan refugees had "shocked" the Afghan community as their hopes and dreams have been shattered. She urged the international community to take more responsibility. Candler said, "Last week I met an Afghan family who had fled Afghanistan in a hurry, leaving everything behind in search of peace and security, and came here to take refuge in 2022. It was heartbreaking to see how terrified they were of being forced to go back."

The UNHCR representative said, "The latest directives from the Pakistani government pose significant disruptions to the fabric of many communities. Displacement from the communities that welcomed them, and potential forced return to Afghanistan, where they have little opportunity." Recently, many refugees who have lived in Pakistan for four decades once again appealed to the government to extend their stay. Afghan refugee Jabit Khan, who has lived in Islamabad for about forty years, says he established a business over the years, and now expulsion from Pakistan could seriously affect his life, reports Afghan media outlet Tolo News. "Give us time, because we cannot suddenly move our business. We have worked here for forty years or more and built relationships with people. This will cause us trouble," Khan said. Earlier, US-based advocacy group Human Rights Watch criticized Pakistan for forcibly deporting Afghan refugees. “Pakistani authorities should immediately stop forcing Afghans to return home and give those facing expulsion an opportunity to seek protection,” said Ellen Pearson, Asia director at Human Rights Watch.