Afghan Refugees Left in Limbo: Pakistan’s Expulsion Plan Called “Cruel and Arbitrary”

Kokcha News Agency – Jessica Bradley Rusin from “Afghan Evac” has criticized the treatment of Afghan refugees, calling it both arbitrary and cruel. Ibrahim Behis from the International Crisis Group has further stated that Pakistan’s move to expel Afghan refugees is a strategic attempt to pressure the Taliban and demonstrate its seriousness to the international community.

Since former U.S. President Donald Trump suspended the indefinite acceptance of refugees in February of this year, approximately 15,000 eligible Afghans have been left in limbo. Thousands more are waiting in Pakistan to be relocated to Western countries, but the global shift in attitudes toward refugees has reduced their chances and increased the risk of a new wave of expulsions by Pakistan.

For women and girls, this prospect is particularly devastating, as returning to Afghanistan would mean facing a country that denies them access to education and employment.

Zahra, an Afghan refugee in Pakistan, told AFP, “We will do whatever it takes to hide ourselves. For girls like us, there is no future in Afghanistan.”

Following the Taliban’s return to power in 2021, tens of thousands of Afghans fled to Pakistan to register for asylum and resettlement at Western embassies. Many had worked for NATO forces led by the U.S. or Western NGOs, while others were civil activists, musicians, or journalists.

Nearly four years later, thousands are still waiting to be resettled to their destination countries, while in recent weeks, hundreds have been detained and deported.

A Pakistani government official told AFP, “This country is not an endless temporary camp.” The official added that Pakistan would only allow Afghans with pending cases to stay if Western governments assured Pakistan that they would be resettled.

A former U.S. State Department coordinator for Afghan transfers said that at the start of Pakistan’s crackdown in 2023, the U.S. embassy provided the government with a list of Afghans under review to prevent their expulsion. However, that office and its support have since been dismantled under the Trump administration.