Deporting registered Afghans: UNHCR urges Pakistan to reconsider decision

ISLAMABAD: The UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, has appealed to the federal government, Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA), Interior ministry and Ministry of States and Frontier Regions (SAFRON) to reconsider its decision to expel over 1.3 million Afghan nationals holding Proof of Registration Cards (PoRs) after September 1, 2025.

The refugee agency has also expressed grave concern over Pakistan’s intention to forcibly return Afghan refugees holding PoR cards.

Sources revealed on Wednesday that UNHCR’s senior officials held extensive discussions with MoFA, Interior and SAFRON authorities, urging them to withdraw or review its decision to deport a large number of registered Afghans on humanitarian grounds.

A UNHCR official disclosed that SAFRON Ministry had recommended extending the validity of PoR Cards, however, in a surprising move, the Ministry of Interior issued a notification calling for the deportation of registered Afghans.

The UNHCR was of the view that all these Afghans are registered with NADRA and no longer threat to the national security of Pakistan, the official added. According to the notification issued on 31st July, Pakistan confirmed that Afghan refugees would be repatriated under its ongoing “Illegal Foreigners Repatriation Plan”.

Over the past days, the UNHCR has received reports of arrests and detention of Afghans across the country, including PoR cardholders, said the refugee agency in a statement issued late on Tuesday night.

“We acknowledge and appreciate Pakistan’s generosity in hosting refugees for over 40 years amid its own challenges. However, given that those holding PoR cards have been recognised as refugees for decades, their forced return is contrary to Pakistan’s long-standing humanitarian approach to this group and would constitute a violation of the principle of non-refoulement,” the statement added.

The UNHCR remains particularly concerned about women and girls forced to return to a country where their human rights are at risk, as well as other groups who might be endangered. We call on the authorities to ensure that any return of Afghans to Afghanistan is voluntary, safe and dignified, the statement remarked.

The UNHCR has continued to seek an extension of the validity of PoR cards and welcomes the additional one-month “grace period” that Pakistan has granted.

The UNHCR strongly urged the Government of Pakistan to apply measures to exempt Afghans with continued international protection needs from involuntary return. We also appeal to Pakistan’s established goodwill to allow legal stay for Afghans with medical needs, those currently pursuing higher education, or in mixed marriages. UNHCR has expressed its readiness to support the government to establish the necessary mechanisms.

The large-scale return of Afghans this year from neighbouring countries has put immense pressure on basic services, housing and livelihoods, and the host communities themselves, worsening an already dire humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan.

Mass and hasty returns significantly heighten protection needs, and risk instability in Afghanistan and the region, including onward movement. This year, over 2.1 million Afghans have already returned or been forced to return to Afghanistan, including 352,000 from Pakistan, the UNHCR said.

According to the official notification, it has been decided that the voluntary return of PoR card holders shall commence forthwith, while the formal repatriation and deportation process will take effect from 1st September 2025.

Further, it is also emphasised that the repatriation of illegal foreign nationals, including Afghan Citizen Card (ACC) holders, will continue as per the earlier decision under the IFRP.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2025