ISLAMABAD: Dozens of Afghan refugee families, including women, children and the elderly, gathered in a public park in Islamabad on Saturday after being allegedly evicted from their homes under Pakistan’s crackdown on documented refugees.
With no aid from authorities or NGOs, the refugees said they had endured police raids, food shortages and the constant fear of deportation to Taliban-ruled Afghanistan.
Pakistan has given Sept. 1 deadline for all documented Afghan refugees to leave. Their deportation had already started ahead of the deadline, according to the UNHCR.
“We have nowhere to go,” said Fahima Khatoon, 45, whose children were born in Pakistan. “My daughter is in university, if sent back, she’ll face Taliban brutality.”
Since the Islamist Taliban returned to power in 2021, it has clamped down on women’s rights, including limits to schooling, work and general independence in daily life.
The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for two Taliban leaders in July, accusing them of the persecution of women and girls. The Taliban rejected the accusations at the time and said it respected women’s rights in line with its strict interpretation of Islamic law.
In the Islamabad park, families said they cooked with their own meagre resources, often eating just once a day, while police raids forced them into hiding.
“This is our bed, the sky is our roof,” said 38-year-old Professor Ahmed Zia, pointing to the rain-soaked ground where an 18-day-old baby slept.
Pakistan’s repatriation plan has drawn criticism from rights groups. Over 2.1 million Afghans have already fled back this year, overwhelming Afghanistan’s collapsed economy. Despite a supposed grace period, evictions continued, leaving refugees in legal limbo.
“We’re not criminals,” Zia added. “We just want to survive.”
Pakistani authorities have said that Islamabad wants all Afghan nationals to leave except for those who have valid visas.
The repatriation drive by Pakistan is part of a campaign called the Illegal Foreigners Repatriation Plan launched in late 2023.
In addition to the repatriation from Pakistan, Afghanistan also faces a fresh wave of mass deportations from Iran. Aid groups worry that the influx risks further destabilising the country.
