On November 1st, Pakistani authorities initiated the arrest and deportation of Afghan refugees in response to a new anti-immigrant policy aimed at reducing the number of unregistered foreigners. The Pakistani government had previously set November 1st as the deadline for mass deportation, primarily impacting Afghan refugees. According to the UN agencies, there are more than two million undocumented Afghans in Pakistan and at least 600,000 of whom fled after the Taliban takeover in 2021. Since the government deadline for deportations was announced on Oct. 3, more than 200,000 Afghans have returned home from Pakistan. Those who had not left the country before November 1st are currently on their way to the border in buses, trucks, or any other vehicles that are available, and officials are following them to make ensure none will not return.

Human Rights Watch on Tuesday accused Pakistan of employing “threats, abuse and detention to coerce Afghan asylum seekers without legal status” to return to Afghanistan. The organisation called for authorities to drop the deadline and collaborate with the UN refugee agency to register those lacking proper documentation. Amnesty International has also called upon the Pakistani government to reverse its decision and uphold its international legal obligations, which include the observance of the principle of non-refoulement.

Deprose Muchena, Amnesty International’s Senior Director, stressed that Afghan refugees’ lives and rights are in jeopardy due to the collective failure of both the Pakistani government and the international community to assume responsibility for their protection, deeming this situation as unacceptable. Human Rights Watch reported the concerns of Zarmina Rafiee, a women’s rights activist affiliated with the Afghan Red Crescent Society in Afghanistan, who highlighted the anxiety among refugees, saying, “We can’t sleep, as we have heard that the police raid houses during the night.”

Debates regarding Afghan migration into Pakistan have raged for several decades. The Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979 triggered one of the most significant refugee crises of its time, and the recent Taliban takeover of Kabul in 2021 gave way to the most recent migratory wave. Forcing families, women, and children to return to Afghanistan risks exposing them to irreparable harm and grave human rights violations in their home country. Pakistani Interior Minister justified this decision by claiming that 14 of 24 suicide bombings in the country this year were carried out by Afghan nationals. He continued by saying that “There are no two opinions that we are attacked from within Afghanistan and Afghan nationals are involved in attacks on us.”

The international community has voiced concerns, particularly due to Pakistan hosting one of the world’s largest refugee populations, with the majority hailing from Afghanistan. Refugees International emphasised: “Pakistan has a long history of generously hosting their Afghan neighbours when they have been unsafe. Now it is not the time to stop”. On October 17th, UN Special Rapporteurs stated that: “the lack of domestic asylum laws and procedures does not absolve states of their obligations to uphold the principle of non-refoulement under international human rights and customary law.” Other human rights groups, including Human Rights Watch (HRW), have advocated against the planned deportation alongside the UN, expressing fears that persecution upon return to Afghanistan is highly likely. Similarly, UNHCR has urged Pakistan not to forcibly return Afghans, saying that returns could result in serious rights violations.

This decision by the Pakistani government is intolerable and it must be unequivocally condemned by the international community. It stands as a violation of human rights, disproportionately affecting families, women, and children. The urgent need for a solution, one that respects the rights and safety of Afghan refugees, cannot be stressed enough. While security concerns should not be ignored, a more compassionate and legally sound approach must be adopted to address this complex issue. Protecting human rights and upholding international legal principles should be the cornerstone of any policy.