UN experts urge Pakistan to halt Afghan refugee deportations

United Nations human rights experts have urged Pakistan to suspend its planned deportation of Afghan refugees, scheduled to begin on September 1, 2025, warning that the policy violates international law and places returnees at grave risk.

The deportations fall under Pakistan’s “Illegal Foreigners Repatriation Plan” and now extend to Afghans holding Proof of Registration (PoR) cards. Many of these refugees have lived in Pakistan for decades, with some born in the country.

The experts described the move as a clear breach of the principle of non-refoulement, which prohibits returning people to territories where they could face persecution, torture, or other serious harm. “Non-refoulement is not optional,” the UN experts said in a joint statement.

Citing UNHCR’s 2023 Guidance Note on the International Protection Needs of People Fleeing Afghanistan, the experts stressed that forced returns remain unsafe given the humanitarian and human rights situation.

Afghanistan is still facing mass displacement, with more than three million people uprooted. Women and girls are particularly vulnerable due to sweeping restrictions, including bans on secondary education, curbs on employment, and limitations on movement without a male guardian.

While acknowledging Pakistan’s decades-long role in hosting millions of Afghan refugees, the experts called for increased international assistance to ease the burden.

Rights groups have raised alarm over the policy’s implementation.

Amnesty International documented more than 750,000 forced deportations from Pakistan by March 2025, citing racial profiling, arbitrary arrests, and harassment of refugees.