Afghan Refugees Face Arrest and Deportation in Pakistan Amid Escalating Tensions
Afghan refugees in Pakistan are experiencing heightened police raids, arrests, and deportations following escalating cross-border clashes between Pakistani and Afghan forces. This situation has created a climate of fear for millions of Afghans, including journalists and activists who fled Taliban rule.
Journalist's Ordeal at Karachi Airport
Alma, an Afghan journalist who escaped the Taliban in October 2024, found herself trapped at Karachi airport with her husband and three-year-old son. Despite holding tickets for what she believed would be a safe passage, Pakistani officials from the Federal Investigation Agency refused to let her family board their flight on multiple occasions.
"The officers told us to go back to Afghanistan and fly wherever we want to from there," Alma recounted. "They said we cannot fly to our destination from Pakistan."
Her troubles continued when a hotel in Karachi turned her family away upon seeing their Afghan passports, with staff citing "orders from high up." As a journalist covering Taliban human rights violations, Alma fears deportation could mean certain danger.
Pakistan's 'Open War' Declaration
The refugee crisis unfolds against a backdrop of escalating military tensions. Pakistan has declared itself in "open war" with Afghanistan following cross-border strikes targeting Tehreek-e Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militants, whom Islamabad accuses Kabul of supporting.
Richard Bennett, UN special rapporteur on human rights in Afghanistan, warns that returning refugees face "real risk of violent retaliatory attacks" if deported to Afghanistan.
Police Raids Across Major Cities
Across Karachi, Islamabad, Quetta, and Peshawar, Afghan refugees report new checkpoints and house-to-house searches. In Quetta, about 60 miles from the Afghan border, Leila described hearing police pounding on doors late at night.
"At that moment, I said to myself that it must be the police," Leila said. "Since coming to Pakistan, I have been taking pills because of the intense stress; my heart was in severe pain and I was crying."
She reported that three neighbors were arrested that night, including two with valid visas, noting that "Pakistani police used to take money and then let people go, but now they only deport."
Journalists Living in Hiding
Abdul, an investigative journalist who fled Taliban rule after being deported from Iran, has been arrested twice in Pakistan despite arriving with a valid visa in July 2025. He and his family now rent under another person's name and hide outside when police conduct searches.
"When the police search house to house, we often hide outside," Abdul explained. "That is how the police arrested me twice on the street."
Community Alerts and Social Media Warnings
In a Facebook group of over 44,000 Afghan refugees, members have been posting warnings about police activities since late February. One post stated: "Tonight, after 12am, the police raided our neighbourhood and arrested all the men... it is not clear where they were taken."
Another warned: "The situation is very bad. Everyone should be ready to go back to Afghanistan."
On February 27th, journalist Zarghona Akbari reported that police arrested her and her children despite her valid visa, stating in a voice message: "Tonight they came again. Right now, they are transferring us to the camp from the police station."
Growing Humanitarian Crisis
The escalating tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan have created a perfect storm for Afghan refugees who previously found relative safety in Pakistan. With Pakistan taking a harder line on deportations and Afghanistan's Taliban government unable or unwilling to guarantee returnees' safety, these refugees find themselves caught between two hostile forces.
As Alma poignantly stated: "I am an Afghan woman journalist with nowhere to go." Her words echo the desperation of thousands facing similar circumstances as cross-border hostilities continue to escalate.
