BAHARIN LEHIB

Pakistan- The Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1978 started a wave of migration from Afghanistan to European countries, the USA and neighboring countries, especially Pakistan and Iran. Since the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan on August 15, 2021, hundreds of thousands of Afghans have fled to their country and sought refuge in Pakistan and Iran in fear of death.

More than 3.5 million Afghans have been living in Pakistan, including around 700,000 people who came after the Taliban takeover in 2021, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM). The UN estimates that half are undocumented.

The government of Pakistan launched the Illegal Foreigners Repatriation Plan (IFRP) in September 2023.

Nearly one million Afghan migrants have been deported from Pakistan and returned to Afghanistan over the past 18 months, according to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). Nearly 60,000 Afghans have been forced to leave Pakistan since the start of April, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM).

Some experts think that the reason for the deportation of Afghan nationals from Pakistan is the tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan since the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan in 2021 while some think that the reason is the Taliban’s relations with India. Pakistan blames Afghan nationals living in Pakistan for helping the Taliban.

Soniya Karimi, an Afghan children’s rights defender, fled from Afghanistan to Pakistan for “security reasons”.

“We passed through the Torkham border crossing by giving money to a smuggler who had a good relationship both with the Taliban and Pakistani police. We left Afghanistan because we were no longer safe there. We came to Pakistan in hope of having a free and safe life. But now, we live in Pakistan as if we are in a prison,” said Soniya Karimi, an undocumented Afghan migrant living in Pakistan.

Soniya Karimi also commented on the recent deportation of Afghan nationals from Pakistan. “Pakistani police raid homes of Afghans, arrest them and send them back to Afghanistan or release them after taking a large sum of money.”

The documented Afghans living in Pakistan cannot easily find housing or jobs, Soniya Karimi told NuJINHA. “Afghans nationals live in fear of being deported.”

The story of Soniya is only one of the stories of Afghan nationals living in Pakistan. They have no safety and face threats of being deported at any time while the international community remains silent against this humanitarian crisis.