Afghan refugees face crisis as Pakistan revokes PoR cards

Kabul: Thousands of Afghan nationals are facing a humanitarian crisis after Pakistan recently revoked the Proof of Registration (PoR) cards granted to Afghan refugees, triggering arrests and forcible deportation, local media reported.

Meanwhile, the arrests and deportations of Afghan refugees by Pakistani authorities have raised concerns among migrants, fuelling demand for dialogue between the governments of Afghanistan and Pakistan to resolve the situation.

“It was expected that Afghan migrants holding PoR cards would be given at least six months’ grace period, but unfortunately, Pakistan’s unilateral decision has resulted in an ongoing crackdown on Afghan migrants,” Afghan media outlet TOLO news quoted Shabana, an Afghan migrant in Pakistan, as saying on Tuesday.

“The Pakistani government has reversed its previous decision and, in coordination with the Islamic Emirate, has drafted and begun implementing a structured, gradual plan for the return of Afghan migrants,” said another Afghan migrant.

The Embassy of Afghanistan in Islamabad announced that at least 800 Afghan nationals were arrested in Rawalpindi and Islamabad over the past three days. Among them, 380 individuals were forcibly deported despite possessing valid refugee documents.

According to the embassy’s migration attache, the move was made unilaterally, with no coordination involving the Afghan government, the United Nations, or the UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees).

“Based on reports from our office, 800 Afghan migrants have been arrested by Pakistani forces, 380 of whom held valid cards but were deported nonetheless,” said Ursula Haqqyar, Deputy Attache for Migration Affairs at the Afghan Embassy in Islamabad.

“In such circumstances, it is the responsibility of both the current Afghan government and international organisations to defend the rights of migrants, especially those who possess legal documents,” said Mohammad Khan Mohammadzai, a migrant rights activist.

Earlier, a deputy minister from Afghanistan’s Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation asserted that the forced deportation of Afghan migrants from neighbouring countries breaches both international and Islamic law, urging the host countries to respect migrants’ rights and dignity.

On July 31, a United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) report said that nearly 1.2 million Afghans have returned from Pakistan since September 2023. In the report, the UNHCR noted that many of the Afghans who have returned face dire conditions and called for urgent aid to prevent a worsening humanitarian crisis.

The agency stated that more than 315,000 Afghans came back to Afghanistan in 2025 alone, including 51,000 who were forcibly deported by Pakistani authorities.

IANS