Pakistan must review its reckless policy of expelling Afghan refugees

Amid international outcry over forced expulsions, Pakistan has decided to grant a one-year extension in the stay of registered Afghan refugees. The government announced the moratorium following a meeting with the prime minister and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees last week. 

An estimated 1.45 million Afghan refugees with proof of registration will benefit from the extension granted until June 30, 2025. Many of them are the third generation of migrants living in Pakistan for over four decades. Besides registered, more than 800,000 have Afghan citizenship cards. The UNHCR has welcomed the government’s decision; it has come as a big relief for refugees facing uncertainty and anxiety. 

Islamabad’s abrupt decision last November to expel all ‘illegal’ refugees drew criticism by the human rights organization- both inside and outside the country. More than half a million undocumented Afghan refugees have so far been expatriated in the past eight months. According to official figures, more than 1.7 million illegal refugees are living in Pakistan- many of them were born and grew up in this country. Islamabad has, according to UN officials, also temporarily halted the repatriation of illegal refugees. 

A Pakistani foreign ministry spokesperson however, said the repatriation of illegal aliens will not be stopped. The statement has added to the confusion on Pakistan’s policy. Meanwhile, PM Shehbaz Sharif has called the UN agency to help Pakistan send the refugees to their homeland with safety and dignity. 

Even if we succeed in pushing all unregistered Afghan refugees across the border, the act alone doesn’t make Pakistan any safer. 

Zahid Hussain

Indeed, the large number of the refugee population has remained a drain on the country’s resources for decades. Yet the arbitrariness of the policy to expel them all has not only created huge humanitarian problems but also strained Pakistan’s relations with the Kabul administration. 

For decades, Pakistan has hosted millions of refugees fleeing war and devastation in Afghanistan. In fact, there has been a constant inflow of refugees since the 1980s following the Afghan war against the Soviets through the porous borders. Being a frontline state during the two Afghan wars in the past four decades made Pakistan the main destination of Afghans affected by the fighting.

Another influx of refugees came after the end of the 20-year-long US-led war in Afghanistan. Over half a million Afghans have crossed over to Pakistan after the return of Taliban rule in 2021. While most of them are economic migrants, there have been others fleeing the country to escape persecution by the conservative regime. They included women and human rights activists.

Apparently, there were no restrictions on border crossings at that time, allowing the free movement of refugees. These people form the bulk of the undocumented Afghan refugee population and Pakistan’s arbitrary policy decision to suddenly expel them led to a very serious humanitarian crisis. Women and young girls for example, are extremely affected by the Taliban regime’s restrictions on female education and work. Simply put, they have no future living under the regime.

In the past too, Pakistan has tried to repatriate undocumented Afghan refugees but never on this scale. Interestingly, such a critical decision affecting the country’s internal and external security was taken by a caretaker government, which was not constitutionally mandated to take policy decisions with long-term national security and foreign policy implications.

It was claimed that the mass expulsion of non-documented refugees is being driven by national security concerns, including the rising number of attacks by the Pakistani Taliban on national security installations and security forces. Pakistani authorities have often alleged that outlawed militants are operating from across the Afghan border. The situation appears to have worsened with the Afghan Taliban administration refusing to act against militant sanctuaries on their soil.

There have also been some reports of the involvement of Afghan Taliban factions in some militant attacks. There can be no two opinions that Pakistan needs secure borders and should stop the undocumented entries of Afghans. But the solution is not reckless and thoughtless expulsion. Not only is this near impossible to implement, but also creates serious problems for Pakistan’s internal and external security.

Even if we succeed in pushing all unregistered Afghan refugees across the border, the act alone doesn’t make Pakistan any safer. Expelling poor Afghan women and children does not resolve the alleged security problem. The policy must be better thought out, and while extending the stay of documented refugees is a start, Islamabad must also review its policy on undocumented Afghans who have lived in this country for decades. 

– Zahid Hussain is an award-winning journalist and author. He is a former scholar at Woodrow Wilson Centre and a visiting fellow at Wolfson College, University of Cambridge, and at the Stimson Center in DC. He is author of Frontline Pakistan: The struggle with Militant Islam and The Scorpion’s tail: The relentless rise of Islamic militants in Pakistan. Frontline Pakistan was the book of the year (2007) by the WSJ. His latest book ‘No-Win War’ was published this year. X: @hidhussain