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Fear of deportation turns deadly for Afghan refugees in Pakistan
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.
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Turkish intelligence captures suspected Daesh operative in Afghanistan-Pakistan region
Türkiye’s National Intelligence Organization (MIT) has captured a suspected member of the Daesh terrorist group operating in the Afghanistan-Pakistan region and transferred him to Türkiye, Turkish security sources said.
According to a report by Daily Sabah, the suspect, identified as Uğur Bahadır, also known by the alias Abdullah, allegedly joined Daesh’s Khorasan branch (ISKP) in 2024 after travelling from Türkiye to the region.
The report said Bahadır received training at several terrorist camps and carried out various assignments for the group.
Following intelligence operations, MIT located and arrested him in the Afghanistan-Pakistan region before transferring him to Türkiye for questioning.
During interrogation, Bahadır reportedly provided information about Daesh’s recruitment networks, training programmes, operational activities and organizational structure in the region.
He also disclosed details of his links with other Daesh members, including Özgür Altun, known as Abu Yasir al-Turki, who was captured in early 2025 and allegedly facilitated the transfer of recruits from Türkiye to the region.
The report further said Bahadır had connections with Ahmet Kazancı, also known as Abu Ubeyde and Abu Ibrahim, who was captured in early 2026 and allegedly worked in the group’s media unit.
According to Turkish intelligence findings cited by Daily Sabah, the operation helped uncover Daesh’s recruitment networks and alleged plans to carry out attacks in Türkiye.
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OCHA: 15.9 million Afghans face severe food insecurity ahead of winter
The agency said nearly one in three Afghans is facing severe hunger, warning that food insecurity could worsen further during the coming winter months.
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has warned that 15.9 million people in Afghanistan are expected to face crisis-level food insecurity or worse as winter approaches, raising concerns over the country’s worsening humanitarian situation.
In a statement posted on X, OCHA said that despite food being available in markets across Afghanistan, millions of people cannot afford to purchase it due to widespread poverty, economic hardship and limited household incomes.
The agency said nearly one in three Afghans is facing severe hunger, warning that food insecurity could worsen further during the coming winter months.
OCHA also raised concerns over child malnutrition, saying more than four million children aged between six months and five years could require treatment for malnutrition in 2027.
The UN agency stressed that humanitarian assistance remains critical to saving lives, but said addressing the crisis requires longer-term investment in livelihoods, essential services and economic opportunities.
OCHA called for urgent international support ahead of winter to help vulnerable families meet their basic needs and prevent further deterioration in food security.
The agency emphasized that combining immediate humanitarian assistance with sustained investment in communities’ resilience is essential to addressing Afghanistan’s ongoing hunger crisis and reducing the impact of future economic and humanitarian shocks.
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Afghanistan’s refugee minister meets new UNAMA chief over returnees, humanitarian aid
The minister further urged the United Nations to help provide essential services in settlements established for returning Afghan refugees.
Afghanistan’s Minister of Refugees and Repatriation, Mawlawi Abdul Kabir, has met with Rabab Fatima, the UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative and newly appointed head of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), to discuss the challenges facing returning Afghan refugees and the delivery of humanitarian assistance.
According to a statement from the Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation, the meeting focused on providing humanitarian support to vulnerable Afghans, ensuring permanent shelter, creating employment opportunities and facilitating the social reintegration of returnees.
Fatima reportedly assured the Afghan authorities that the United Nations would continue cooperation with them and support efforts to provide humanitarian assistance, sustainable housing and livelihood opportunities for returning refugees.
She also highlighted mobilizing humanitarian aid, expanding international engagement with Afghanistan and addressing human rights concerns as key priorities.
Abdul Kabir, meanwhile, said the Afghan government seeks positive relations with the international community based on the principles of Islamic Sharia, calling on other countries to respect Afghanistan’s Islamic system and territorial integrity.
He also said security had been established across the country and development projects were underway.
The minister further urged the United Nations to help provide essential services in settlements established for returning Afghan refugees.
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