Forced to Leave: Afghan Families Face Uncertain Futures Amid Pakistan’s Deportation Drive-Sheraz Khans (Activist)
In recent months, Pakistan has launched a nationwide crackdown on undocumented foreign nationals, with Afghan refugees at the forefront of this controversial move. While the government insists that the policy only applies to those lacking legal documentation, the consequences have been far reaching and devastating for thousands of Afghan families who have called Pakistan home for decades.
The mass arrests and deportations have triggered a wave of fear and uncertainty. For many Afghans, Pakistan has been more than just a place of refuge. it has been a second home, a space where families rebuilt their lives after fleeing war, persecution, and the collapse of governance under the extremist.
“I can’t express in words the pain I felt leaving it,” shared one Afghan man as he crossed the border. “Our house was made of mud, and we built it ourselves. I planted many trees there. My neighbors and friends were in tears when I left. It’s the hard government that is making us leave.”
These words capture the emotional and human cost of the deportation policy. Homes, friendships, businesses, and entire communities are being torn apart overnight. What’s worse, many deportees are being sent back to a country still gripped by uncertainty, violence, and poverty where basic rights, especially for women and minorities, are routinely denied under the Taliban regime.
While the government maintains that its policy targets only those “illegally” present in the country, the reality on the ground reveals a more complicated and painful truth. The lack of civil documentation among refugees is often the result of bureaucratic hurdles, fear of exposure, or past failures to renew UNHCR registration cards. Many have lived in Pakistan for decades, contributed to local economies, raised children here, and developed deep-rooted ties to their communities.
Human rights advocates have raised alarms over the inhumane treatment of refugees during raids and detentions. Detainees report being held in overcrowded jails, separated from their families, and stripped of their dignity. For Afghan women and children, the return to Afghanistan means an abrupt end to education, healthcare, and safety.
This deportation drive comes at a time when the international community has largely shifted its focus away from Afghanistan, creating a vacuum of accountability and support for the displaced. The absence of comprehensive refugee protection mechanisms in Pakistan combined with the lack of a viable repatriation strategy raises serious questions about the violation of international human rights and refugee law.
At its core, this crisis is not just about legal status; it is about human dignity, identity, and justice.
Pakistan, historically known for hosting one of the largest refugee populations in the world, is now at a crossroads. It can either retreat into a policy of exclusion and forced removals, or rise to its legacy by working with humanitarian organizations to find compassionate, lawful, and sustainable solutions for Afghan refugees.
Until then, the tears of families leaving their self-built homes, the grief of children torn from schools, and the haunting silence of deported neighborhoods will remain as stark reminders of the cost of turning away the vulnerable.
Sheraz Khan- Human Rights Activist