Pakistan To Continue Deportation Of Afghans, Around 3 Million People To Be Expelled | What We Know

Pakistan is planning to continue its mass deportation of Afghans from the country. As per reports, around three million Afghans are expected to be expelled as the deadline to leave voluntarily expired on Monday.'

This mass deportation comes as a continuation of Islamabad's nationwide crackdown launched in October 2023. Under this, Pakistan expelled foreigners living in the country illegally.

A majority of these foreigners were Afghans who fled Afghanistan in 2021, after the Taliban takeover.

As the Pakistani government now works to resume these deportation drives, arrests are expected to begin from April 10, 2025, onwards. Earlier, the deadline was April 1 but it was extended due to Eid holidays and the end of the holy month of Ramadan.

As per the International Organisation for Migration, in the past 18 months, around 845,000 Afghans have fled Pakistan. The government added that around three million Afghans remain in the country.

As per reports, 1,344,584 hold Proof of Registration cards, while 807,402 have Afghan Citizen Cards. Around one million Afghans remain in Pakistan illegally as they have no paperwork.

Authorities stated that Afghans with citizen cards were asked to leave by voluntarily by March 31. If they fail to do so, they will be forcibly deported.

Meanwhile, Afghans with Proof of Registration cards will be allowed to stay till June 30. Afghans who plan to leave for a third country had also been asked to leave by March 31.

Thousands of Afghans fled in 2021 after the Taliban takeover. As they fled, they had been approved for resettlement in the US through aid programmes and organisations which help people at risk, especially due to their work with the American government and organisations.

However, after Trump's inauguration in 2025, the US President scrapped many refugee programmes and USAID funds, leaving around 20,000 Afghans in a precarious position.