RASC News Agency: On the occasion of World Refugee Day, Amnesty International has called upon the Government of Pakistan to immediately suspend its forced deportations of Afghanistani refugees and to urgently extend their legal residency permits to prevent further humanitarian fallout. In a statement released by the organization, Amnesty revealed that since October 2023, the Pakistani government has forcibly deported more than 1.08 million Afghanistani nationals a mass expulsion that Amnesty condemned as a direct violation of the international principle of non-refoulement. This principle, a cornerstone of refugee law, forbids returning individuals to a country where they face a credible risk of persecution, torture, or other serious harm.
The organization further warned that approximately 1.4 million Afghanistani refugees currently residing in Pakistan many of whom hold Proof of Registration (PoR) cards are now facing an imminent legal crisis. These documents are due to expire within days, leaving their holders in a state of legal uncertainty and heightened vulnerability. “The forcible return of Afghanistani refugees to Taliban-ruled Afghanistan is not only a grave violation of international law, but also a moral failure,” Amnesty declared. “These individuals are being sent back to face a regime that has systematically dismantled human rights, suppressed women’s freedoms, and criminalized dissent.” The situation is especially dire for women, girls, journalists, civil society activists, and former government employees many of whom fled Afghanistan to escape Taliban reprisals. Under Taliban rule, women are barred from education, employment, and public life, while civil society has been brutally silenced. Returning to such an environment amounts to a sentence of fear, destitution, and violence.
Despite these well-documented risks, the Pakistani authorities have shown little inclination to reconsider their policy. Amnesty International has called on Islamabad to urgently extend the validity of PoR cards, halt deportations, and align its domestic policies with international human rights standards, particularly those enshrined in the 1951 Refugee Convention and the 1967 Protocol, which affirm the rights and dignity of displaced populations. “These refugees are not just statistics they are survivors of persecution,” Amnesty emphasized. “Sending them back into the hands of the Taliban is a dereliction of Pakistan’s obligations under international law and a stain on global conscience.”
Observers warn that many of those targeted for deportation have lived in Pakistan for decades, contributing to local economies and building families. Forcibly uprooting them now, amid Afghanistan’s ongoing economic collapse and humanitarian disaster, will only deepen regional instability and expose thousands to unspeakable danger. The call from Amnesty coincides with broader appeals from international rights groups and UN bodies urging a moratorium on deportations and greater protection mechanisms for displaced Afghanistani women and children in particular.
In closing, Amnesty International urged the Pakistani government to act swiftly to prevent a deepening humanitarian tragedy and called on the international community to increase pressure on Islamabad while providing greater resettlement support for Afghanistani refugees trapped in limbo.
