Pakistan has expelled more than 80,000 Afghan nationals since the end of March, a senior official said, as part of a renewed crackdown targeting foreigners the government deems to be residing 'illegally' in the country.
Thousands of Afghans who have lived in Pakistan for years — some for decades —are being forced to return to a homeland they describe as unsafe, economically crippled, and socially repressive under Taliban rule.
Many cite fears over limited job prospects, insecurity, and the Taliban's ongoing restrictions on women, particularly the ban on girls' education.
"I returned with no plan — only fear," said Shahbaz Khan, who recently left Peshawar after five years and is now back in Afghanistan.
"Where will I work? How will my children study? Even medicine is scarce," he said.
Mr Khan originally fled to Pakistan seeking safety and job opportunities.
"The lack of jobs, poverty, and insecurity left us no choice, we became refugees in Pakistan to survive," he told the ABC.
Without guaranteed shelter or employment, he fears for his family's survival.
Islamabad had issued a final warning to Afghan nationals without valid documentation or those holding Afghan Citizen Cards, mandating their departure by March 31.
That deadline was later extended to April 30 — but no further extensions are expected.
"This deadline is final," said Talal Chaudhry, an adviser to Pakistan's interior ministry, during a press conference in Islamabad last week.
UNHCR representative in Pakistan, Philippa Candler, noted that many long-term Afghan residents are fully embedded in their local communities.
"A non-return advisory has been in place since the Taliban takeover in 2021, calling for a suspension of forced returns regardless of status," she told the ABC.
The UN refugee agency has expressed particular concern for vulnerable returnees, including women, religious minorities, journalists, artists, and human rights defenders.
"We urge Pakistan to continue to provide safety for Afghans at risk," Ms Candler added.
A slow repatriation rate
Despite the government's firm messaging, the pace of deportations has slowed compared to previous policy phases.
Analysts say local authorities in key provinces remain hesitant to fully implement expulsion orders due to fears of unrest and logistical complications.
"Afghans can never be completely repatriated, especially from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa," said Abdullah Khan, managing director of the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies.
"They return using illegal channels or exploiting loopholes in the system despite fencing at the border," he added.
The rugged mountains of the frontier — where many villages are split between Pakistan and Afghanistan — complicate enforcement.
"For the past three or four decades, movement across the border was rarely stopped," Mr Khan added.
The true number of undocumented Afghans living in Pakistan remains unknown.
While police raids have been reported in cities such as Islamabad, Rawalpindi, and others in Punjab and Sindh, enforcement has been inconsistent.
Abdullah Khan said a "lack of aggressive implementation" is one reason.
International pressure could also be influencing the pace.
Human rights groups, aid agencies, and the Taliban government in Kabul have all urged Pakistan to reconsider.
Since April, more than 35,000 Afghans have crossed back into Afghanistan via the Torkham crossing in the north-west — a marked drop compared to the mass exodus seen in late 2023 when hundreds of thousands left to meet an earlier deadline.
Shared cultural ties
The province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa remains at the centre of Pakistan's Afghan population, owing to its proximity to the border and deep cultural, linguistic, and ethnic ties.
The region has been hosting Afghan refugees since the 1980s, following the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.
Over the decades, many families have become deeply integrated, even intermarrying with local communities.
"I've been here for almost 50 years," said Akber Khan, a restaurant owner in Peshawar.
"I got married here. So did my children. Ten members of my family are buried here. That's why we have no desire to leave."
According to Abdullah Khan, the government in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa maintains a more sympathetic stance towards Afghan residents.
"They share traditions and language, and even former prime minister Imran Khan opposed coercive measures against Afghan refugees during his tenure," Mr Khan said.
But that empathy is tempered by security concerns. Afghan communities are deeply embedded across the province — in cities, towns, and rural areas.
Authorities fear that mass expulsions could destabilise these populations or trigger unrest.
'We are leaving under duress'
On the outskirts of Peshawar, a truck carrying 30 Afghans paused at a roadside rest stop before heading toward the Torkham border.
Families huddled among bundles of clothes, mattresses, and furniture. A woman in a blue burqa stepped down from the vehicle.
Ajab Gul said their departure was forced.
"We didn't want to go," he said. "They raided our houses two or three times. We are leaving under duress."
Near the border crossing, another Afghan returnee, Jannat Gul, outlined the challenges ahead.
"Our children's education has been destroyed. We are going back, but we have no contacts, no connections. People there even call us Pakistanis. We are not accepted as Afghans," Mr Gul said.
One of the major reasons families are resisting return is the Taliban's ban on girls' education beyond the sixth grade.
Suze van Meegen, interim country director for the Norwegian Refugee Council in Afghanistan, warned that the consequences would be dire.
"Women and girls will again fall to the very bottom of family priorities," Ms Van Meegan said.
"If you were spending a little to send your daughter to primary school, that will now fall off the agenda. And when resources are stretched, it's always women and girls who suffer first."
The Pakistani government has set up temporary holding centres in various cities to shelter Afghans before they are transferred to the Torkham crossing.
But for those leaving, the journey is filled with uncertainty — and a sense of abandonment in a country they once called home.
ABC/wires
