Evicted from their homes and huddling under plastic sheets after heavy rains, Afghan refugees in a park near government offices in Islamabad said they had nowhere to go as Pakistan pressures landlords to expel documented families.
Among them is Samia, 26, from Afghanistan’s Hazara minority, a Shi’ite community long persecuted at home, who gave birth just three weeks ago.
“I came here when my baby was seven days old, and now it has been 22 days … we have no food, and my baby was sick but there was no doctor,” she said on Friday (August 15), wearing damp clothes and shoes caked in mud as she cuddled her son, Daniyal whose body bore a rash.
An Afghan citizen, Parvana, 17, adjust her scarf as she takes shelter at a public park with her family along with others after they were evicted, as Pakistan has started to deport documented Afghan refugees ahead of its deadline for them to leave, in Islamabad, Pakistan, on August 15, 2025. (REUTERS)
The United Nations says Pakistan has begun deporting documented Afghans before a Sept. 1 deadline that could force more than a million to leave.
The action comes despite about 1.3 million holding refugee registration documents, while 750,000 have Afghan identity cards issued in Pakistan.
Samia now lives on the park’s wet ground, among 200 families who cook, sleep and dry their belongings there after nights of rain. Plastic sheets serve as makeshift shelters, and children and parents spend their days battling mud, sun and hunger.
Families pool the little money they have to buy potatoes or squash, cooking small portions over open fires to share with several people. The women use the washroom in a nearby mosque.
Sahera Babur, 23, another member of the Hazara community, who is nine months pregnant, spoke with tears in her eyes.
“If my baby is born in this situation, what will happen to me and my child?” she said, adding that police had told her landlord to evict her family because they were Afghan.
Rehana, 7, an Afghan citizen, sits with her family's belongings while taking shelter at a public park along with others after they were evicted, as Pakistan has started to deport documented Afghan refugees ahead of its deadline for them to leave, in Islamabad, Pakistan, on August 15, 2025. (REUTERS)
Dozens of policemen stood at the edge of the park in Pakistan’s capital when Reuters visited, watching the camp. Refugees said officers regularly told them to leave or risk being taken away.
Police denied harassment. Pakistan’s information ministry did not respond to a text message requesting comment.
Many at the camp say they cannot go back to Afghanistan because of the risks.
Afghan citizens take shelter at a public park after they were evicted, as Pakistan has started to deport documented Afghan refugees ahead of its deadline for them to leave, in Islamabad, Pakistan, on August 15, 2025. (REUTERS)
Pakistan, host to millions of Afghans since the 1979 Soviet invasion, has stepped up expulsions under a 2023 crackdown, blaming Afghans for crime and militancy, charges rejected by Kabul.
The green grass and serene vistas in Islamabad’s park stand in stark contrast to the lives of those camping there. “My message to the world is to see our situation,” Samia said, clutching her newborn.
