Islamabad: Following the recent global crises and changing geopolitical dynamics, the vast majority of countries have swiftly reoriented their policies to align with their national priorities, placing them above all concerns. This turn could not have come at a worse time for Afghan refugees abroad. Following decades of unremitting conflict, political instability, and prolonged downturn in the economy, countless Afghans were forced to leave their homes, seeking safety elsewhere.
According to Global Voices, these changes have scattered Afghans from the farmland of their youth to the shores of neighboring Pakistan, Iran, distant countries in Europe, the Americas, and beyond. Despite battling various life-threatening situations, they haven’t entered the safe and stable future they had hoped for. The recent Iranian-Israeli conflict has led Iran to initiate a sweeping crackdown on Afghan refugees, with over 1.5 million deported this year alone, including nearly 600,000 in the past two months. Reports suggest Iran plans to deport up to four million Afghans by the end of 2025.
Deportations occur daily, sometimes involving up to 50,000 people in a single day. Refugees are seized without warning, forcibly removed from their homes and workplaces, denied their belongings and documents, and taken to the border without due process. At crossings like Islam Qala, deportees, including women, children, and the elderly, are abandoned in the desert without shelter, water, or medical care. Aid workers report soaring cases of dehydration, disease, and psychological trauma, contributing to a silent humanitarian crisis.
Pakistan has also increased deportations of Afghan refugees since April 2025, expelling over 1 million Afghans. In just two weeks, nearly 60,000 were sent through the Torkham and Spin Boldak crossing points. Among them are many women, children, and individuals with valid Afghan citizen cards that allow them to reside legally in Pakistan. The deportations have resulted in family separations, police brutality, and abuse, violating the principle of non-refoulement, which prohibits returning refugees to countries where their lives may be threatened.
Tajikistan has forcibly deported Afghan refugees since mid-July 2025, including those awaiting resettlement in a third state. Following the collapse of Afghanistan’s democratic government, thousands of Afghans were evacuated by the US to temporary facilities in the UAE and Qatar. However, the Trump administration’s plan to terminate Temporary Protected Status (TPS) has raised uncertainty for Afghans in the US and those stranded abroad awaiting document processing.
Germany and five other EU nations have agreed to toughen asylum laws and restart deportations, including to Afghanistan. These countries have limited family reunions and attempted to establish asylum procedures in non-EU states. Germany, under a program with Taliban coordination, recently returned 81 Afghans, potentially indicating future diplomatic ties for more returns.
In the UK, an accidental email leak by the Ministry of Defence endangered more than 250 Afghan translators, and despite the UK’s two-decade presence in Afghanistan, many Afghan partners remain stranded, awaiting resettlement through programs like the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP). This, coupled with increasingly restrictive UK immigration policies, exacerbates the uncertainty faced by Afghans who assisted the UK.
These deportations, in addition to violating the principle of non-refoulement, amount to collective expulsion, breaching Article 13 of the ICCPR, and worsen Afghanistan’s humanitarian crisis by returning people to extreme poverty and insecurity. Afghanistan faces an existential threat from climate change, with severe droughts and limited water resources exacerbating the situation. Over 15 million Afghans face food insecurity, many threatened by starvation.
Addressing the Afghan refugee crisis requires swift, coordinated action. Governments must reduce bureaucratic delays, expedite resettlement programs, and uphold commitments to meet relocation targets. Countries should adopt a multilateral approach to share responsibility for resettling Afghans, extending Temporary Protected Status and humanitarian visas to provide legal pathways for vulnerable groups. Governments face a moral decision: to stand for human dignity and international norms or prioritize political gain. The time to decide and act is now.