Pakistan's Human Rights Commission has condemned the country's forced expulsion of Afghan migrants as "inhumane", warning that the policy has pushed thousands of families into crisis. The findings were published in the commission's annual report, which documented severe restrictions on Afghan refugees' access to healthcare, financial support, and other essential services following Islamabad's crackdown on undocumented migrants.

What the Rights Commission Found

The commission's annual report detailed how Pakistan's government-enforced deportation policy has severely restricted Afghan refugees' access to essential services, including medical treatment and financial assistance. The body urged Islamabad to uphold human rights principles and respect human dignity when dealing with migrants. It noted that the policy has sparked international concern, with multiple global rights bodies now weighing in.

Human Rights Watch Raises Alarm

US-based advocacy group Human Rights Watch (HRW) has separately reported that Pakistani authorities have intensified raids, arbitrary detentions, and forced deportations of Afghan refugees following renewed border clashes with Afghanistan. According to HRW, thousands of vulnerable Afghans — including children — have been denied access to healthcare, education, and other basic services due to ongoing police operations.

Fereshta Abbasi, a researcher at HRW, stated: "Pakistani authorities are spreading fear among Afghan refugees instead of treating them as people in need of protection. Abusive police practices are forcing people to forgo food and healthcare while mass deportations are returning refugees to possible persecution and worse in Afghanistan." Abbasi urged Pakistan to immediately halt abusive police practices and called on the international community to raise concerns directly with the Pakistani government.

Scale of Deportations and Legal Concerns

Over 146,000 Afghans have been deported from Pakistan in 2026, with numbers rising sharply since 1 April. Police have arrested Afghans holding valid visas alongside those without documentation — a situation worsened by the fact that Pakistani authorities stopped renewing Proof of Registration cards and other residency documents for Afghan refugees in 2023. Detained refugees are typically transferred to holding centres before deportation.

HRW has warned that Pakistan's forced deportations may constitute violations of its obligations as a signatory to the UN Convention Against Torture, as well as customary international law's prohibition against refoulement — the forced return of individuals to places where they face a genuine risk of persecution, torture, or threats to their life.

Escalating Pakistan-Afghanistan Tensions

The crackdown has intensified against the backdrop of escalating fighting between Pakistan and Afghanistan since February 2026. Pakistani police have conducted door-to-door raids, late-night home searches, and warrantless arrests across several areas. This comes amid a broader deterioration in bilateral relations, with Afghan civilians increasingly caught in the crossfire of a political and military standoff. The situation raises urgent questions about Pakistan's compliance with international humanitarian law, and whether Islamabad will face formal pressure from the United Nations or Western governments to reverse course.