Pakistan is planning to expel all Afghan refugees from its territory, no matter whether they have a residence permit or not, the Afghan embassy in Islamabad has said.
“The officials of Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs have informed us that from now on, Afghans can only stay in Pakistan with a visa,” acting Afghanistan Ambassador Sardar Ahmad Shakeeb said
The decision is final and concerns holders of Afghan Citizen Cards (ACC) and Proof of Registration (PoR) cards. Shakeeb said that the ACC and PoR cards will be voided.
“However, their [Pakistani] cabinet has extended the validity of the PoR cards until June 30. After that, they will have no legal status – those who leave voluntarily can do so, but others will be forcibly deported,” the diplomat said.
The UN’s International Migration Organization estimates that Pakistan has repatriated nearly 825,000 Afghan refugees since September 15, 2023, including 18,500 refugees who were expelled in January 2025 alone.
The regional media report that Islamabad made the decision to expel Afghan refugees due to the rising frequency of terrorist attacks, which it blames on Afghans and members of the Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan extremist group (under UN sanctions for terrorism). The Afghan government has denied any involvement in the attacks.
