Kabul, August 22, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Pakistan’s ongoing deportation of Afghan nationals amounts to more than a humanitarian crisis and could have serious political and economic consequences, according to a report by the Afghan Diaspora Network.
The report said activists, journalists, former Afghan government officials and women’s rights defenders face serious threats in Afghanistan. It warned that Afghans forcibly returned from Pakistan could face arrest, torture or even execution.
It cited an August 7 ruling by the Peshawar High Court, which rejected asylum and temporary residence requests by two former Afghan soldiers. The petitioners had sought temporary protection, visa extensions and protection from arrest and deportation, arguing that returning to Afghanistan would put their lives at grave risk.
According to the report, the court held that the petitioners had not established a violation of their fundamental rights sufficient to invoke constitutional jurisdiction under Article 199 of Pakistan’s Constitution.
The Afghan Diaspora Network said Pakistan’s Foreign National Security Cell had led a broad crackdown involving arrests and deportations. Citing official figures, it reported that 140,468 Afghan nationals had already been deported from Punjab province, while the nationwide number had reached approximately 2.68 million.
The report said many of those deported were families that had lived in Pakistan for decades.
It alleged that Afghan families faced abuse at checkpoints and were deprived of savings and essential documents before being forced across the border. It further claimed that Afghan neighbourhoods had been demolished and communities uprooted during the crackdown.
“Entire Afghan neighborhoods are bulldozed, homes demolished, and communities uprooted with military-style precision,” the report said, describing people being removed from their homes and transported to Durand Line crossings.
The report also highlighted the lack of international attention to the plight of Afghan refugees, saying their situation had been overshadowed by other global conflicts.
It criticised what it described as a contrast between Pakistan’s public support for Palestinian causes and its treatment of Afghan refugees, pointing to recent pro-Palestine demonstrations in Karachi and Lahore.
The report characterised the deportation campaign as “state violence” and alleged that Afghan refugees had been treated as politically expendable over several decades.
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