The Afghan embassy in Pakistan said about 800 Afghans living in the capital were detained by authorities, including some registered with the United Nations refugee agency.
In a statement late Monday, the government warned that uncertainty over visa procedures for Afghans in Pakistan was giving rise to “troubling cases of arbitrary detention and deportation.”
Amid rising political tensions with Kabul, Islamabad has cracked down on Afghans living in the country illegally, with more than 780,000 Afghans forcibly returned across the border since the end of 2023, including several This includes people who have lived in Pakistan for 10 years.
“The Embassy of Afghanistan expresses deep concern over the recent detention of approximately 800 Afghan nationals in Islamabad,” it said on social media platform X.
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“This has resulted in the tragic separation of families, including women and children, many of whom remain stranded in Pakistan.”
The statement said this number includes 137 Afghans who have pending visa extension applications or are temporarily registered with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
The embassy said it was “alarmed by reports of unlawful arrests, raids and extortion targeting Afghan nationals.”
Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not respond to requests for comment.
More than 600,000 Afghans have fled to Pakistan since the Afghan Taliban regained control of Kabul in August 2021, including tens of thousands of Afghans who were advised by Western countries that promised to relocate them. This includes people.
Many have been forced to wait in guesthouses in Islamabad for months while their cases are processed by the embassy, and there have been reports of increased harassment by police in recent weeks.
Pakistan’s government said the deportation campaign was an effort to improve security following a rise in the number of militants in border areas.
But Afghans say they are being targeted because of political tensions between Islamabad and Kabul.
“Afghans waiting for immigration in Pakistan are suffering tremendously,” Umer Ijaz Gilani, a lawyer representing the Afghans, told AFP.
Millions of Afghans have fled to Pakistan to escape decades of conflict, and the country is deeply entrenched in Pakistani society.
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According to UNHCR, Pakistan currently hosts approximately 1.5 million Afghan refugees and asylum seekers, along with more than 1.5 million Afghans with various legal statuses.
Pakistan has granted a series of short-term extensions to Afghans currently registered as refugees, which are set to expire in June 2025.
