Violating Afghan Refugees’ Rights Will Not Solve Pakistan’s Woes
Pakistan’s current plan to expel millions of Afghan refugees back to Afghanistan is sweeping in scale, dangerously short-sighted, and irresponsibly politicised. The Taliban regime’s response, meanwhile, has been equally dismal and reprehensible.
The history of Afghan refugees in Pakistan is one of stark contrasts. On one hand, the host communities—particularly in FATA, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Balochistan—have shown extraordinary compassion and hospitality. On the other hand, the Pakistani military and state authorities have frequently politicised and manipulated the refugee issue in pursuit of ill-conceived foreign and security policies. However, the current actions by the Pakistani government represent an entirely new level of recklessness and irresponsibility.
International human rights organisations, refugee advocacy bodies, and the United Nations have repeatedly urged Pakistan to refrain from this humanitarian catastrophe. Citing fears of persecution and serious threats to life upon return to Afghanistan, UN experts have “urged Pakistan to immediately halt mass internal relocations, deportations, arrests, evictions, intimidation, and other forms of pressure on Afghans... and to uphold the absolute and non-derogable principle of non-refoulement”. Similar appeals from Pakistani citizens, civil society leaders, and political figures have also gone unheeded.
The justifications offered by Pakistani policymakers for this callous campaign are largely unfounded. Afghan refugees are not responsible for Pakistan’s deepening woes—be they related to security, economic decline, poor governance, systemic discrimination, or widespread public discontent. Drawing upon the support of the Afghan diaspora abroad, as well as their own resilience and hard work, these refugees have, in fact, contributed more to their host country than they have taken.
The true motivation behind the Pakistani government’s latest actions appears to be political frustration—an attempt to pressure the Taliban into aligning with Islamabad’s security agenda. For over two decades, Pakistan offered sanctuary and support to the Taliban, defying the appeals of Afghanistan, the U.S., and a coalition of over 40 countries. This era of international counterterrorism was marked by deception on a grand scale and unfulfilled promises from Pakistan. Yet the Taliban now seem either unwilling or unable to rein in Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), who are partly to blame for the ongoing violence and instability within Pakistan.
There is little doubt that supporting the Taliban’s return to power was a grave strategic miscalculation by Pakistan—one whose consequences both countries are now forced to endure. But to assume that the Taliban will shift their policies in response to the plight of Afghan refugees, merely to satisfy Islamabad’s security concerns, is an even greater error in judgement.Compounding this is the expectation of cordial relations between the two nations, even as millions of Afghans are expelled under conditions marked by egregious abuses and mistreatment—experiences that have deeply shocked both Afghanistan and the international community.
The Taliban leadership undeniably bears significant responsibility for the current suffering of millions of innocent Afghans—just as it is responsible for the widespread human rights abuses and the systemic oppression of women and girls within Afghanistan. These violations are the primary drivers of mass displacement and the principal reason so many Afghans refuse to return home.
Ultimately, the establishment of a legitimate, accountable state in Afghanistan—one that upholds its obligations to its people and the international community—is essential. Without this, voluntary, safe, and sustainable repatriation of Afghan refugees will remain impossible. Moreover, such a transformation—achieved through an intra-Afghan political settlement—is essential not only for the stability of Afghanistan and Pakistan, but also for the wider security of the region and the world.