Afghan Refugees Deported from Pakistan Report Harassment and Property Seizures
Kandahar – The deportation of Afghan refugees from Pakistan has intensified once again, according to local officials in Kandahar. More than 2,000 families, numbering over 11,000 people, were deported through Spin Boldak last month alone.
At a registration camp in Takhta Pul district, officials confirmed that on the night of August 24, at least 110 families arrived after deportation. Nearly 3,500 Afghans who had been imprisoned in Pakistan were also expelled during the past month, with around 200 prisoners deported in a single night.
Many deportees report mistreatment by Pakistani authorities. Sixty-year-old Mohammad Nader said he was forcibly evicted from his home in Quetta with his family, while household goods and valuables were seized. He said Afghans were no longer allowed to work or live peacefully in Pakistan, and his family is now left with nothing, staying in the open under the sky.
Another deportee, Ali Khan, said police raided his home in Zhob bazaar, confiscated belongings and cash, detained him, and then expelled him to Afghanistan empty-handed.
Meanwhile, Afghan refugees still residing in Pakistan say they face growing difficulties in maintaining legal status. Many report that their visa renewal applications are being rejected without explanation, despite repeated submissions and long waits. They add that police continue to demand bribes while accusing them of being undocumented.
An Afghan woman in Islamabad said that while visa renewals were possible in the past, this option has now been closed, leaving her unable to stay legally in Pakistan.
The Afghan Council in Islamabad recently reported that Pakistani authorities have rejected around 80 percent of Afghan visa extension requests in recent months, most of which were for medical or visitor purposes.
While Islamabad maintains that only undocumented Afghans and those holding temporary residence cards are being deported, the refusal to extend visas indicates that even legally residing Afghans are under pressure to leave the country under various pretexts.
