Pakistan's Deportation of Afghan Refugees and now
Overview
Under its Illegal Foreigners' Repatriation Plan, announced in October 2023, Pakistan has expelled undocumented Afghans, then Afghan Citizen Card holders and, since mid-2025, holders of UNHCR-backed Proof of Registration cards. UN tracking puts total returns to Afghanistan since September 2023 at well over two million.
UN says committed to work with Pakistan for voluntary returns of Afghan refugees.
Latest updates
UNHCR–IOM tracking recorded about 2.66 million returns to Afghanistan from Pakistan since 15 September 2023, of which about 10 per cent were deportations
Phase 2 began, extending deportations to Afghan Citizen Card holders alongside undocumented people
Pakistan's government approved the Illegal Foreigners' Repatriation Plan, ordering undocumented foreigners to leave by 1 November 2023, with Afghan nationals to be repatriated in three phases
Positions on the record
Islamabad says
Pakistan's Ministry of Interior said the legal validity of refugee documentation, including PoR cards, expired on 30 June 2025 and that holders would be treated as illegal residents who must leave.
Quoted or summarised from the linked public statements only.
Recent developments
The returns strain Afghanistan's humanitarian situation and Pakistan–Taliban relations, and draw criticism from UN agencies and rights groups. They also affect Afghans who worked with the United States and are awaiting resettlement from Pakistan.
Recommended resources
-
Pakistan says 'repatriation plan' on course to expel illegal immigrants from Nov. 1
via Arab News
-
Afghan Deportations (Situational Update April – May 2025)
via Center for Research and Security Studies (CRSS)
-
UNHCR Pakistan Operational Update, January 2026
via UNHCR via ReliefWeb
-
UNHCR–IOM Flash Update #97
via UNHCR and IOM (via ecoi.net)
-
Pakistan Says 2.4 Million Afghans Have Returned Since 2023 as UN Warns of Reintegration Challenges
via KabulNow
