Kabul – August 6: United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Afghanistan, Richard Bennett, has voiced serious concerns over Pakistan’s plans to carry out mass and rapid deportations of Afghan refugees, warning that such actions could destabilize the region and worsen Afghanistan’s already dire humanitarian crisis.
Pakistan has announced that, starting September 1, it will begin deporting Afghan refugees holding temporary residence permits. The decision has triggered strong reactions from the UN and humanitarian organizations, who caution against the risks involved.
Bennett stressed that the deportations will significantly increase the financial and logistical burden on humanitarian agencies trying to assist returnees—many of whom are returning to a country plagued by insecurity, lack of shelter, and minimal access to basic services.
The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has also urged Pakistan to reassess the plan, warning that forced returns may violate international refugee protection laws and put lives at serious risk.
Pakistani officials have reaffirmed the September 1 deadline, which could result in the expulsion of over one million Afghan refugees under the country’s “Illegal Foreigners Repatriation Plan.”
According to UN data, over 2.1 million Afghans have already been deported from Iran and Pakistan in 2025 alone—placing enormous strain on Afghanistan’s fragile economy and overstretched humanitarian system.
Humanitarian agencies have warned that if these deportations are carried out without proper coordination, legal safeguards, and reintegration plans, they could deepen Afghanistan’s humanitarian crisis and fuel further instability across the region.
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