The government of Pakistan is accelerating the deportation of legally registered Afghan refugees in an unprecedented move that has alarmed humanitarian organizations and neighboring countries. With a September 1, 2025, deadline looming, reports indicate that hundreds of documented Afghan refugees have already been detained and expelled ahead of schedule. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) warns that these forced returns violate international principles and risk fueling regional instability. This real-time report examines the situation of Afghan refugees with Proof of Registration (PoR) cards, Pakistan’s motivations and legal obligations, the humanitarian risks of mass deportation, and personal stories of families caught in the turmoil. We also provide FAQs and a call to action on how readers can raise human rights awareness.
Pakistan’s Deportation Deadline Sparks Global Alarm
Pakistan hosts one of the world’s largest protracted refugee populations, mostly Afghans who fled decades of conflict. Now, a government campaign known as the Illegal Foreigners Repatriation Plan (launched in late 2023) has escalated to target even those refugees who hold legal documentation. Originally, authorities set a June 30, 2025, deadline for Afghan refugees to voluntarily repatriate, after which PoR cards issued to them would expire. When that deadline passed without renewal, forced expulsions resumed in early July. Under international pressure, Pakistan’s interim government extended the grace period until September 1, 2025 – allowing PoR cardholders until August 31 to leave voluntarily. However, despite this extension, evidence has emerged that deportations began even ahead of the deadline. UNHCR reports “arrests and expulsions of legally registered Afghans” across Pakistan from August 1–4, calling it a breach of Pakistan’s commitments. Pakistani officials deny early arrests of PoR holders, insisting that action against registered refugees will only start after Sept. 1 (while continuing to crack down on undocumented Afghans).
UNHCR’s spokesperson Qaiser Khan Afridi urged Pakistan to halt forcible returns and pursue a “humane approach” of voluntary, gradual repatriation. The UN agency – while acknowledging Pakistan’s 40+ years of hospitality to Afghan refugees – has appealed for extended legal stay for PoR cardholders and raised alarm about coercion, citing the international principle of non-refoulement (no forced return to danger). Human rights groups like Amnesty International likewise condemn the mass deportation plan as a violation of international law and refugee rights.
