Pakistan Deported Afghans Who Were Waiting For US Settlements

A large number of Afghan migrants waiting to be resettled in the United States have been forcibly returned home by the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, which is a blow to human rights.

According to Afghan applicants and an advocacy group, Afghans were forcibly returned home by the Pakistani authorities under a massive deportation drive. 

More than a million undocumented foreigners, primarily Afghan migrants, were driven out of Islamabad by Pakistani authorities on 1 November 2023. 

According to the United Nations, more than 450,000 Afghan migrants have returned home under Pakistan’s deportation drive. Currently, many Afghan migrants are residing in harsh winter conditions close to the border because of the deportation drive. 

Pakistan deported Afghans who were waiting for US settlements

At least 130 Afghan migrants being processed for U.S. special immigration visas or refugee resettlement in the United States have been deported to Afghanistan.

Shawn VanDiver, president of #AfghanEvac, said that Pakistan arrested more than 230 Afghans, although about 80 have since been released. 

November 1 was the deadline that Pakistan set for undocumented migrants to leave the country. Pakistan wanted to expel around one million undocumented migrants. The Pakistani government also ordered “illegal foreigners” to return to their countries of origin by November 1.

Anyone found staying in the country illegally were detained and held in designated “holding centers” and deportation centers.

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Fereshta Abbasi, a Researcher in the Asia division at Human Rights Watch, said, “The situation in Afghanistan remains dangerous for many who fled and deportation will expose them to significant security risks.”

When the Pakistani authorities started the crackdown to expel illegal foreigners, Afghan migrants were the most affected. Afghan migrants were forced to return to Taliban rule in Afghanistan. The move also drew criticism from the Taliban-led government in Afghanistan and Western countries.

Angelina Jolie, an American actress and filmmaker, also expressed concern over Pakistan’s forced expulsion of Afghan refugees and migrants. She described the sufferings of Afghan migrants as “another example of the backsliding in human rights globally.”