Taliban Calls For Trilateral Meet With Pak, UN Over Afghan Refugee Expulsions

The Taliban’s ambassador in Islamabad has urged the United Nations and Pakistan to hold a trilateral meeting to discuss the mass deportation of Afghan refugees.

The request was made during a meeting with the head of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Pakistan.

On Saturday, the Taliban-controlled Bakhtar News Agency reported that Sardar Ahmad Shaqib, the Taliban’s envoy in Islamabad, met with Philippa Candler, UNHCR’s representative in Pakistan.

The meeting focused on Pakistan’s recent decision to expel Afghan refugees from Islamabad and Rawalpindi and the necessary arrangements for their forced return.

On 31 January, the Pakistani government, under Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s leadership, approved a large-scale deportation plan for Afghan refugees. Following this decision, Pakistani authorities began mass arrests, detaining and deporting thousands of Afghan nationals.

The Taliban’s embassy in Islamabad has confirmed that Pakistan’s decision to deport all Afghan refugees from Rawalpindi and Islamabad—except for those with valid residency permits—has been finalised and is irreversible.

The UNHCR previously reported, citing Pakistani government officials, that all Afghan refugees must leave Islamabad and Rawalpindi by 28 February 2025.