ISLAMABAD: The UN refugee age­ncy has asked Pakistan not to expel Afghans who are under threat of persecution in their home country.

The UNHCR said Afghan women and girls and other endangered communities were being “forced to return to a country where their human rights are at risk”.

The agency has urged the government to exempt from repatriation Afghans with “continued international protection needs”.

“We call on the authorities to ensure that any return of Afghans to Afghanistan is voluntary, safe and dignified,” the agency’s spokesperson Babar Baloch said in a press briefing in Geneva on Tuesday.

Agency says women being asked to return to country where their rights are under threat

The statement has come as Pakistan plans to repatriate Afghan refugees holding ‘Proof of Registration’ (PoR) cards.

Mr Baloch said Aghans holding PoR cards have been “recognised as refugees for decades, their forced return is contrary to Pakistan’s long-standing humanitarian approach” towards Afghan refugees and would be a “violation of the principle of non-refoulement”.

“We acknowledge and appreciate Pakistan’s generosity in hosting refugees for over 40 years amid its own challenges,” he added.

The federal government has announced the formal repatriation and deportation of over 1.3 million Afghan refugees holding PoR cards from Sept 1.

The PoR cards, which allowed Afghan refugees to legally reside in Pakistan without visas, have already expired on June 30 as per a government’s decision.

The move is part of the ongoing ‘Illegal Foreigners Repatriation Plan’ announced by the government in 2023 to deport Afghan refugees living illegally in Pakistan.

Now the government has even asked registered refugees to return to Afghanistan.

UNHCR said it has received reports of arrests and detention of Afghans across the country, including PoR cardholders, over the past days.

“We also appeal to Pakistan’s esta­blished goodwill to allow legal stay for Afghans with medical needs, those currently pursuing higher education, or in mixed marriages,” Mr Baloch said, adding the UNHCR was ready to support the government to establish the necessary mechanisms.

The large-scale return of Afghans this year from neighbouring countries — Pakistan and Iran — has put immense pressure on basic services, housing and livelihoods in a country already battling a dire humanitarian crisis.

So far this year, over 2.1 million Afghans have already returned or been forced to return to Afghan­istan, including 352,000 from Pakistan.

The “mass and hasty returns” significantly heighten protection needs and risk instability in Afgh­anistan and the region, including onward movement, UNHCR said.

Asia-Pacific refugee report

In a report published on Wednes­day, the agency said the total number of refugees, asylum seekers, IDPs, stateless people, returnees and other people of concern to UNHCR in the Asia Pacific region stood at 17.3 million by the end of 2024.

The report titled ‘Asia and the Pacific Regional Trends’ says the region hosts 13 per cent of the 129.9m assisted by the UNHCR.

This includes 18pc of the world’s refugees and asylum-seekers (7.2m of 39.3m) and 58pc of all recorded stateless people, including those with undetermined nationality (2.5m out of 4.4m).

In the Asia Pacific, the total number of people under UNHCR protection or assistance remained relatively stable between 2015 and 2020, averaging around 9.5m.

However, since 2020, there has been a steady increase, with the population reaching 17.3m by the end of 2024.

The number of refugees, people in a refugee-like situation and asylum-seekers increased by 82pc, rising from 4m in 2015 to 7.2m in 2024.

There was also a significant increase in the number of IDPs in the region, which more than doubled over the same period — from 2.9m to 6.9m.

Returning refugees

The UNHCR noted the trends in refugee returns over the past decade have shown significant fluctuations.

The highest number of returns was recorded in 2016, when approximately 385,100 refugees returned to their countries of origin in the region.

Although returns declined in subsequent years, they rose again in 2023, with approximately 58,000 refugees and people in a refugee-like situation returning, mostly Afghans.

This upward trend continued in 2024, when an estimated 365,400 people returned, again predominantly Afghan nationals.

Similarly, the number of IDP returnees from 2015 to 2024 varied considerably.

The highest returns were recorded in 2015 and 2021, while 2024 saw approximately 566,400 IDP returnees, marking a substantial decrease from earlier peaks.

Demographic data available with the UNHCR showed 50pc of those being protected or assisted by the agency were women and girls, 47pc children and 6pc elderly people aged 60 and above.

Many of the forcibly displaced children spend their entire childhoods away from home, sometimes separated from their families, the agency added.

Some have witnessed or experienced violence and face heightened risks of abuse, neglect, violence, exploitation, trafficking or military recruitment while in exile.

Published in Dawn, August 7th, 2025