Deportation of undocumented Afghans from Pakistan

In October 2023, the government of Pakistan announced a plan to deport foreign nationals who either do not have valid visas or have overstayed their visa for more than one year. The mass deportations affect primarily Afghans who fled to Pakistan after Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan. There were an estimated 3.8 million Afghans in Pakistan at the time the deportation order was announced according to the United Nations, while Pakistani authorities believed the number to be as high as 4.4 million. Of these, only a few held the required documentation allowing them to legally stay in Pakistan. Afghans accounted for 95% of the foreign nationals in Pakistan. Deportations were to start from 1 November 2023. An estimated 546,800 Afghans have left Pakistan by 4 April 2024.

The government cited increasing crime and violence, including suicide attacks, as the motivation for the mass deportations. However, outside observers noted there were likely also political reasons for the sudden deportations, for example that the Pakistan Army hoped to pressure the Taliban, who control the Afghan government, into a more cooperative foreign policy. Some also argued that Pakistan is instituting collective punishment against Afghans and Afghan immigrants were being scapegoated for Pakistan's economic crisis.