Pakistani authorities have escalated raids, detentions and forced returns of Afghan refugees following renewed border clashes with Afghanistan, according to Human Rights Watch.

The group said police operations in several cities have included door-to-door searches, late-night raids and arrests without warrants. Afghans with valid visas have reportedly been detained alongside undocumented migrants, many of whom lack paperwork after Pakistan stopped renewing refugee registration documents in 2023.

More than 146,000 Afghans have been deported from Pakistan in 2026 alone, with numbers rising in April. Detainees are typically transferred to holding centres before being expelled.

Refugees interviewed by the group described arrests during everyday activities, confiscation of money and phones, and demands for bribes. Fear of detention has also prevented many from seeking medical care or sending children to school.

Human Rights Watch also reported cases of family separations and children being deported alone. Some returnees have ended up in overcrowded border camps in Afghanistan with limited access to food, shelter and healthcare.

The crackdown follows escalating violence along the disputed Durand Line frontier with Pakistan since late 2025. Rights groups say the forced returns may violate international law, including the prohibition on sending people back to countries where they risk persecution or harm.

Sweden has confirmed it will play a key role in facilitating renewed European Union engagement with Afghanistan’s Islamic Emirate authorities, as Brussels intensifies efforts to coordinate the return of Afghan nationals from member states.

The move follows reports that an IEA delegation could travel to Brussels in the coming months for sensitive, technical-level discussions with EU and national officials.

The talks – expected to focus on deportation procedures – are being prepared jointly by Sweden and the European Commission.

Sweden’s Migration Minister, Johan Forssell, confirmed Stockholm’s involvement, stating that Sweden would work with the Commission to invite a technical delegation from Kabul to continue dialogue in Brussels.

The discussions are expected to include representatives from the Commission, the EU’s diplomatic arm – the European External Action Service – and a small group of member states, including Belgium and Sweden.

The initiative was reportedly prompted in part by Belgium’s migration authorities and builds on a joint EU-Belgian mission to Kabul earlier this year, which laid the groundwork for further engagement with Afghanistan’s rulers.

EU officials have meanwhile increasingly acknowledged the need for limited, pragmatic engagement – particularly on migration management.

A spokesperson for the European Commission confirmed that preparations are underway for follow-up talks after the Kabul visit, though it remains unclear whether the EU executive will formally host the meeting in Brussels.

The outreach reflects growing pressure within the bloc to adopt a more coordinated approach to Afghan returns.

In late 2025, Belgium led an initiative backed by 19 EU countries calling for stronger cooperation on deporting Afghan nationals convicted of crimes, highlighting divisions within the EU over migration policy and the legal and ethical complexities of returning individuals to Afghanistan.

Mihyung Park, International Organization for Migration (IOM) Chief of Mission in Afghanistan, said during her visit to Kandahar that Afghanistan is still facing a serious humanitarian crisis in relation to returning migrants.

Mihyung Park made these remarks during a visit to a returnee center in the Spin Boldak district of Kandahar province, adding that the organization’s assistance to returnees will continue.

According to her, the current situation in the region shows that the flow of Afghan migrants returning from Iran and Pakistan is still increasing.

She added that although the needs of returnees have grown, aid resources are limited, and therefore the organization will focus on families that are in the greatest need of assistance.

ccording to IOM, around three million Afghans returned from Iran and Pakistan to the country in 2025 alone. This process is still ongoing, which has further increased the need for humanitarian assistance.