Pakistan to Deport Nearly 20,000 Afghan Refugees Awaiting U.S. Resettlement
Pakistan plans to return nearly 20,000 Afghan refugees awaiting relocation to the United States, sharing their information with authorities for immediate deportation.
According to The Nation newspaper, Pakistan has decided to deport thousands of Afghan refugees who have been waiting for resettlement in the U.S.
The federal government will notify senior provincial authorities and police across Punjab, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan, Kashmir, Gilgit-Baltistan, and Islamabad to facilitate the returns.
Most of these refugees fled Afghanistan after the previous government fell and have been waiting more than four years for transfer to third countries.
In recent months, Pakistan has already returned some Afghan refugees who were on U.S. resettlement lists, citing doubts about Washington’s commitment to the program.
The U.S. paused Afghan refugee admissions after Rahmanullah Lakanwal, an Afghan national, shot two U.S. National Guard soldiers near the White House in December.
Following the shooting, President Donald Trump suspended visa issuance for Afghan passport holders indefinitely and ordered a review of existing Afghan immigration cases.
The decision underscores growing frustration in Pakistan over long-term refugee stays and the uncertainty surrounding Afghan resettlement to the United States.
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