4 days ago
Afghan refugees say they are being ‘pushed out' as Pakistan begins deportation
ISLAMABAD : Dozens of Afghan refugee families, including women, children and the elderly, gathered in a public park in Islamabad on Saturday after being evicted from their homes under Pakistan's crackdown on undocumented migrants.
With no aid from authorities or NGOs, they endured police raids, food shortages and the constant fear of deportation to Taliban-ruled Afghanistan.
'We have nowhere to go,' said Fahima Khatoon, 45, whose children were born in Pakistan. 'My daughter is in university, if sent back, she'll face Taliban brutality.'
Families cooked with their own meagre resources, often eating just once a day, while police raids forced them into hiding.
'This is our bed, the sky is our roof,' said 38-year-old Professor Ahmed Zia, pointing to the rain-soaked ground where an 18-day-old baby slept.
Pakistan's repatriation plan has drawn criticism from rights groups. Over 2.1 million Afghans have already fled back this year, overwhelming Afghanistan's collapsed economy. Despite a supposed grace period, evictions continued, leaving refugees in legal limbo.
'We're not criminals,' Zia added. 'We just want to survive.'
The repatriation drive by Pakistan is part of a campaign called the Illegal Foreigners Repatriation Plan launched in late 2023.
In addition to the repatriation from Pakistan, Afghanistan also faces a fresh wave of mass deportations from Iran.
Aid groups worry that the influx risks further destabilizing the country.
