Decades-old communities dismantled as diplomatic tensions escalate
ISLAMABAD, PAKISTAN — For Allah Meer, Pakistan is the only home he has ever known. Born 45 years ago in a refugee settlement in Kohat, northwestern Pakistan, he represents a generation of Afghans whose entire lives have unfolded on Pakistani soil, far from the ancestral homeland their parents fled.
Now, that home is being taken away.
A Life Built on Borrowed Ground
Meer’s parents were part of a massive exodus triggered by the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979. More than 200 members of his extended family made the perilous journey to Pakistan, settling in refugee villages that would become their permanent residence.
“In my entire life, I visited Afghanistan only once — for just two weeks in 2013,” Meer explained. “My family has never returned. We were born here, married here, and buried our loved ones here. How can we simply uproot everything?”
Yet that is precisely what Pakistan’s government is demanding. Last week, authorities announced plans to shut down all 54 Afghan refugee villages nationwide, accelerating a controversial deportation campaign that began in 2023 targeting what officials label “illegal foreigners.”
From Sanctuary to Expulsion
Pakistan’s relationship with Afghan refugees spans more than four decades. The country became a refuge during multiple crises: the Soviet occupation, the civil war years, the Taliban’s first regime in 1996, and most recently, the group’s return to power in 2021.
After American forces toppled the Taliban in 2001, many refugees returned to Afghanistan. But their homecoming proved temporary. The Taliban’s rapid reconquest in August 2021 triggered yet another wave of displacement, with an estimated 600,000 to 800,000 Afghans seeking safety across the border.
However, the welcome has evaporated. As relations between Islamabad and Kabul deteriorated over the past four years, Pakistan — once the Taliban’s primary supporter — began accusing Afghanistan of harboring militant groups responsible for cross-border violence. The government’s position toward Afghan refugees hardened dramatically, even targeting those with decades of residency.
Documentation Becomes Worthless
Meer holds a university degree in education from Peshawar and operates a vocational training program for Afghan refugee children, supported by the United Nations refugee agency. Since 2006, he has carried a Proof of Registration card issued by UNHCR, which previously granted legal residence, limited movement, and access to essential services like banking and healthcare.
Those protections have now vanished. As of June 30 this year, Pakistani authorities stopped renewing these cards and declared existing ones invalid.
“We all possess the UNHCR-issued documents, but with this current crackdown, I don’t know what will happen to us,” said Meer, a father of ten children.
Pakistan also introduced Afghan Citizenship Cards in 2017 for undocumented Afghans, providing temporary legal status. But these too no longer shield holders from deportation.
According to UNHCR data, more than 1.5 million Afghans have left Pakistan — either voluntarily or under compulsion — since the campaign began in 2023.
Trapped Between Two Nations
Approximately 1.2 million registered refugees, 737,000 citizenship cardholders, and 115,000 asylum seekers remain in Pakistan. Recent fighting along the border in early October pushed already fragile relations into open conflict, though officials from both countries signed a ceasefire agreement in Doha on Sunday, with further talks planned for Istanbul on October 25.
Despite the diplomatic engagement, tensions remain dangerously high, and families like Meer’s fear becoming collateral damage in the diplomatic standoff.
“UNHCR is deeply concerned by the government’s decision to close refugee villages across Pakistan,” said a UNHCR spokesperson. “Many affected individuals have lived here for years and now face an uncertain future. We urge that any returns be voluntary, gradual, and conducted with dignity and safety.”
Meer, who has seven refugee villages housing over 100,000 people in his district alone, believes both governments are exploiting the refugee crisis for political advantage.
“Our family elders have met to discuss options. We considered sending young men to Afghanistan to search for housing and business opportunities, but the problem is we have no connections there whatsoever,” he said.
Without valid documentation, Meer cannot access medical care when his children fall ill. “We are, for all practical purposes, considered illegal in the country we call home,” he said.
Security Claims and Rising Violence
Pakistan launched its expulsion program in late 2023 amid escalating militant violence. The year 2025 is on track to become the most violent in a decade.
Pakistani officials justify the deportations by framing Afghan refugees as security threats. In 2023, then-interior minister Sarfraz Bugti claimed that Afghan nationals carried out 14 of 24 suicide bombings that year, though he provided no supporting evidence and did not clarify whether the perpetrators were longtime residents or recent border crossers.
Kabul denies sheltering militant groups.
Meer worries that Afghan refugees will face suspicion in Afghanistan as well, viewed as outsiders or even enemies due to their Pakistani upbringing amid the current hostility between the neighbors.
“We will be seen as Pakistanis there, as enemies too,” he said.
A Call for Compassion
The UNHCR spokesperson urged Pakistan to reconsider its mass repatriation drive and exempt Afghans with international protection needs from forced return.
“For over 45 years, Pakistan has shown extraordinary generosity by hosting millions of Afghan refugees,” the spokesperson noted. “Pakistan has a proud history of hospitality, and it’s important to continue that tradition at this critical time.” For Meer and countless others, the question remains: Where do you go when the only home you’ve ever known declares you unwelcome?
