Fear of arrest and forced deportation is pushing Afghan refugees in Pakistan into life-threatening situations, with women, children and the sick paying the heaviest price, humanitarian groups warn.

Doctors Without Borders (Médecins Sans Frontières – MSF) has shared harrowing accounts of Afghan families too afraid to leave their homes, even for urgent medical care, due to Pakistan’s ongoing deportation drive.

In one recent incident, an Afghan refugee couple knocked on the door of a Pakistani rickshaw driver late on a cold November night, begging for help. The woman was in labor, but the family feared that leaving their home would result in police detention. Despite having no money, the driver agreed to take her to hospital.

“She was screaming all the way,” the driver later told MSF staff in Balochistan province. “She gave birth in my rickshaw. It was full of blood. I cannot describe it in words. It broke me mentally.”

The mother and newborn survived after receiving care at an MSF facility, but aid workers say such cases are becoming increasingly common as Afghan refugees face serious barriers to accessing health services.

According to MSF, mass deportations have turned into a catastrophic humanitarian crisis. Thousands of Afghan refugees are being held in temporary camps with little or no access to shelter, clean water, sanitation, food, or health care. With winter temperatures dropping sharply, fear of arrest is preventing many from seeking treatment, leading to miscarriages, untreated illnesses and preventable deaths.

Pakistan has hosted millions of Afghan refugees since the late 1970s. However, since November 2023, the government has implemented the Illegal Foreigners Repatriation Plan, initially targeting undocumented Afghans before expanding to Afghan Citizen Card holders and, more recently, those with UN-issued proof of registration cards.

Deportations surged again from September 2025, coinciding with winter, and are now affecting Afghans regardless of legal status.

MSF has reported tragic cases, including the death of a five-month-old baby who spent the night in freezing conditions at a holding center before reaching medical care, and the case of a woman who died after delivering a stillborn baby in a camp with no basic facilities. Her family was deported to Afghanistan shortly after—along with her body.

“Lives are at stake,” said Xu Weibing, MSF’s head of mission in Pakistan. “Afghan families are being forced to choose between living in fear of deportation and danger upon return. Safety, dignity and humanity are not optional.”

Aid organizations are urging Pakistan to halt forced returns and calling on the international community to urgently increase humanitarian assistance, provide winter shelter, health care and protection, and find safe relocation options for the most vulnerable.

Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Thursday diplomatic channels with Afghanistan remain active, with ongoing contacts between the two neighbouring countries.

Speaking at a weekly press briefing in Islamabad on Thursday, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Tahir Hussain Andrabi stressed that Pakistan does not interfere in Afghanistan’s internal affairs, but reiterated that terrorism emanating from Afghan soil remains Islamabad’s primary concern.

“Incidents of terrorism emanating from Afghanistan are a primary concern for Pakistan. Our demand is that Afghan territory should not be used against Pakistan,” Andrabi said.

He added that Islamabad is seeking written, verifiable, and concrete assurances from Afghan authorities to dismantle terrorist groups and prevent the use of Afghan soil for militant activities. “Without these written commitments, the issue of terrorism cannot be resolved,” he emphasized.

The spokesperson noted that addressing terrorism would open the door to a significant improvement in bilateral relations, adding that Pakistan and Afghanistan have no other major disputes.

The Islamic Emirate has repeatedly called Pakistan’s claims baseless and added that Afghan soil will not be used against any country.

Relations between Islamabad and Kabul deteriorated sharply in October 2025 following one of the deadliest military escalations in recent years. Although a ceasefire was announced on October 19, trade has yet to resume.

On Afghanistan’s regional role, Andrabi said the country has strong potential to become a regional hub, stressing that ending terrorism would benefit Afghanistan itself as well as the wider region.

The spokesperson of the Islamic Emirate announced on Thursday that Abdul Latif Mansour, the former Minister of Energy and Water, has been appointed as the new Minister of Rural Rehabilitation and Development.

Mohammad Younus Akhundzada, the former Minister of Rural Rehabilitation and Development, has been appointed as the new Minister of Energy and Water.

Meanwhile, Abdul Haq Hamkar, who previously served as Deputy Minister for Finance and Administration at the Ministry of Public Works, has been appointed as Director General of Da Afghanistan Breshna Sherkat, the country’s national power utility.

Mohammad Younis Rashid, the former Deputy Minister for Youth Affairs at the Ministry of Information and Culture, has been appointed as Deputy Minister for Finance and Administration at the Ministry of Public Works.

Abdul Bari Omar, the former Director General of Da Afghanistan Breshna Sherkat, has been appointed as Head of Protocol at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The appointments were made by order of the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Emirate.