KARACHI: Refugee leaders in Karachi on Saturday urged the Pakistani authorities to reconsider their plan to expel Afghan nationals, saying the prospect of deportation during Eid was the harshest blow they could expect from a country that had generously hosted them for nearly five decades.
Earlier this month, the government announced that Afghan Citizen Card (ACC) holders must leave Pakistan by March 31, a deadline expected to coincide with Eid al-Fitr.
According to UN data, Pakistan hosts more than 2.8 million Afghans, many of whom fled decades of war and instability in their home country. Around 1.3 million of them are formally registered as refugees and hold Proof of Registration (PoR) cards, which grant them legal protections.
Another 800,000 Afghans possess ACCs, a separate identity document issued by the Pakistani government that recognizes them as Afghan nationals without offering refugee status.
With the government now requiring ACC holders to leave by March 31, a deadline expected to coincide with Eid al-Fitr, nearly 800,000 Afghans, including an estimated 65,000 in Karachi, face the prospect of being forcibly returned to a country many have never even seen.
“We appeal to the government of Pakistan to reconsider its decision to expel Afghans holding Afghan Citizen Cards,” said Haji Abdullah Shah Bukhari, chairman of the refugee community in Sindh, at a news conference in Karachi.
“Pakistan has generously hosted us for nearly 47 years, and a large portion of these refugees were born in Pakistan,” he continued. “Even if the government decides to expel us, it should not be done during Eid.”
Bukhari urged the authorities to allow more time for refugees to prepare, warning that many would be forced to live in tents in Afghanistan, where they have no homes to return to.
Islamabad has previously attributed militant attacks and other crimes to Afghan nationals, who make up the largest share of migrants in the country. The government claims that militants, particularly from Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), operate from safe havens in Afghanistan and maintain ties with Afghans living in Pakistan to stage cross-border attacks. Kabul has consistently denied these accusations.
Bukhari, however, stressed that Afghan refugees in Pakistan had no links to militant violence in the country.
“We ourselves are victims of war and terrorism,” he said.
Mufti Rahim Ullah, another refugee elder, said his fellow nationals consider Pakistan their home.
“I arrived in Pakistan over three decades ago with my parents. I married a refugee woman born in Pakistan, and all my children were born and raised here. Pakistan is our country, and we love it. We condemn anyone who wants to harm Pakistan,” he said, adding that fear had gripped refugee settlements across Karachi.
Agha Syed Mustafa, another Afghan national and school principal, said law enforcement agencies lacked clarity during crackdowns, leading to the harassment of all of his community members, including those holding PoR cards.
“There should be clarity, and any operation should be conducted in consultation with the local [Afghan] community,” he said.
Mustafa urged the government to urgently review the deportation decision and allow refugees more time.
“They should be given more time so that they can plan their return to Afghanistan,” he said.
Afghan refugee leaders urge Pakistan to reassess expulsions ahead of Eid deadline
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Afghan refugee leaders urge Pakistan to reassess expulsions ahead of Eid deadline
- The government has decided to begin expelling refugees holding Afghan Citizen Cards from April
- UN data suggest around 800,000 of the 2.8 million Afghans in Pakistan face imminent deportation
