IN a small house on the outskirts of the twin cities, three Afghan families gathered in a room decorated with traditional floor seating to share their ordeal in the wake of a crackdown launched by the authorities to expel all refugees from Islamabad and Rawalpindi by March 31.
They arrived in Pakistan for their resettlement in the US after the fall of Kabul in 2021. For the past two decades, they had worked alongside the US making them eligible for Priority 1 and Priority 2 visas.
However, the suspension of resettlement programme by the Trump administration has left thousands in limbo. The suspension coincides with the crackdown on refugees by Pakistan.
Sania*, a mother of four whose relocation was in the final stages, requested the government to spare them as they would be gone soon. “We are not a security threat,” she said, asking the government not to send them back to Afghanistan due to grave threats.
Life in exile
Life before the crackdown, though difficult, was not insufferable. Sania even tried to set up a small shop (albeit unsuccessfully) thrice. However, the crackdown has upended her life. On Feb 3, police barged into her house and took her to Haji Camp along with her 16-year-old son.
After spending a night there, she was allowed to leave after producing a letter from the US. Amanullah*, who is from Kunar and acting as a translator for Sania, was also picked up in the third week of Feb, and he still reels from the impact of the night-long detention. He said the detention facility offered food (10am breakfast and 5pm dinner) twice a day and had no doctor or medicines.
Fatima*, 20, who accompanied her mother for the interview, was also taken to the detention centre. She said police raids still haunt them and the “children hide themselves upon seeing or even hearing about the police”.
In light of the deadline for leaving the twin cities, her 15-member family (five children) have been looking for a place to stay in Attock since Feb 20, but their efforts failed because of visa and related restrictions. “We don’t know what we will do. We are a young generation with our future ahead of us…,” she said.
Bonded by ordeal
All three families did not share a blood relation, but their tribulations had forged a strong bond. They were also almost out of Pakistan, but the Trump administration threw a spanner in their plans. Showing a plane ticket from Islamabad to Los Angeles on his phone, Amanullah said he was set to fly to the US on Feb 18.
While Sania said she was supposed to fly in the third week of January and showed an email (dated December) in this regard. On the other hand, Fatima’s family was supposed to leave for the US on Feb 4. Despite the decision by the Trump administration, they are still hopeful. Last week, a State Department official also affirmed commitment to resettle their Afghan partners. Dawn sent an email to the OIM Islamabad office (which is handling their cases) but did not receive a response.
Visa extension, threats
As Pakistan cracks down on undocumented foreigners, it has made stay in the country contingent on a valid visa. However, the visa policy seems arbitrary to Afghan nationals, who say that the validity has been reduced to 30 days from six months. Sania showed her recently approved visa which she received after several months for Rs17,000. She said she paid Rs7,000 at the time of her application and later paid Rs10,000 for approval when her visa did not arrive despite several months. Prices, however, vary in each case.
As the deadline for deportation looms, the Afghan refugees said they sold everything to finance their trip to Pakistan for onward travel to the US and they have nothing left in Afghanistan. The deportation will also expose them to risks. “If we go back, Taliban will kill us,” Fatima said.
Recently, the Foreign Office said Pakistan was waiting for clarification from the US before making any decision.
Sania, meanwhile, requested the government to pause the crackdown on P1-P2 applicants, saying they were only here for visa processing and would be gone soon. She has also requested an extension in the March 31 deadline for leaving the twin cities, saying the move is costly, especially when they don’t have a livelihood and it will complicate their frequent visits to the diplomatic missions handling their cases. Dawn approached the Islamabad chief commissioner for comment but did not receive a response.
*Names have been changed to protect identities.
Published in Dawn, March 30th, 2025
