Tehran- IRAF- Human Rights Watch, in its latest annual report on the human rights situation in Pakistan, declared that Islamabad’s migration policies in 2025 led to the widespread and forced expulsion of Afghan migrants. The scope of this policy included Afghans who have lived in Pakistan for years, or even decades.
The report, published on Wednesday, February 4, indicates that Pakistani officials have officially confirmed that the expulsion plan is not limited to undocumented migrants but includes individuals who have resided in the country for many years, including those who hold legal refugee status.
According to the organization, this action violates Pakistan’s international obligations concerning refugee protection.
Based on the data presented in the report, Pakistani security forces, using security pressures, threats, violence, and creating an atmosphere of intimidation, forced at least 531,700 Afghan migrants to leave the country in 2025.
HRW states that many of these individuals were deprived of access to legal services during this process and, in numerous instances, faced arbitrary detentions, ill-treatment, and forced, immediate evacuation of their residences.
The organization further emphasized that the expulsion of Afghans who have lived in Pakistan for decades not only carries widespread humanitarian consequences but is in clear contradiction with the fundamental principles of human rights and Islamabad’s international commitments.
Human Rights Watch warned that the continuation of this trend could expose thousands of families to the risk of homelessness, separation from family members, and severe insecurity.
In another section of the report, the Government of Pakistan is called upon to immediately halt the implementation of this policy, respect the rights of asylum seekers, and harmonize its migration policies with international standards and human rights principles.
The organization stressed that violent treatment and mass expulsions not only create a humanitarian crisis but also affect Pakistan’s international credibility.
