Afghan Groups Urge UN to Halt Forced Deportations from Pakistan

Afghan Groups Urge UN to Halt Forced Deportations from Pakistan
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A coalition of 113 Afghan civil society groups and protest movements based in Pakistan has appealed to the international community and the United Nations to intervene and stop the forced deportation of Afghan refugees from Pakistan, Amu TV reported.

In a joint statement issued Thursday, the organizations voiced deep concern over the ongoing crackdown, warning that returning refugees to Taliban-controlled Afghanistan would expose them to persecution and violence.

They said many Afghans in Pakistan—especially women, journalists, human rights activists, and former security personnel—fled after the Taliban takeover in August 2021 and remain without legal residency but under UNHCR protection.

The statement stressed that Pakistan’s deportations violate the international principle of non-refoulement, which forbids sending individuals to countries where their lives or freedoms are at risk.

The groups called on the UNHCR, the UN Human Rights Council, the European Union, and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation to pressure Islamabad to suspend the expulsions and ensure refugee safety.

Pakistan’s government has justified the policy on security grounds following recent border tensions, estimating that 1.7 million undocumented Afghans live in the country. Rights groups, including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, have condemned the deportations as a grave threat to vulnerable refugees.