Afghan Refugee In Islamabad Takes Own Life Amid Delays In Immigration Case

Sources report that a young Afghan man in Islamabad has taken his own life due to prolonged delays in the processing of his immigration application to Canada.

His family currently resides in Canada, and he had been waiting for his immigration visa while staying with his sister in Pakistan.

Sher, a 23-year-old from the Bazarak district of Panjshir, had been living with his sister in the Peshawar Mor area of Islamabad. On the night of 3 February, he died by suicide. His body has been sent for forensic examination.

According to sources, Sher had been in Pakistan for nearly two years, awaiting resettlement, with his immigration case in its final stages. He had also completed his medical examination. However, he reportedly struggled with uncertainty due to the prolonged immigration process and increasing pressure from Pakistan’s strict policing of Afghan refugees.

Before his death, Pakistani police had reportedly inspected the guesthouse where Sher was staying.

Over the past three years, there have been multiple reports of Afghan refugees in Pakistan dying by suicide. Since the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan, thousands of Afghans have fled to Pakistan in hopes of resettlement. However, slow case processing and mounting pressure from Pakistani authorities have exacerbated their struggles.

Most Afghan refugees in Pakistan are awaiting relocation to the United States, but with the suspension of the U.S. immigration programme under Donald Trump, many are facing heightened uncertainty. Alongside visa delays and economic hardship, the threat of detention and deportation to Afghanistan has placed Afghan refugees under immense psychological and emotional distress.