UN urges Pakistan to halt refugee expulsions after deadly quake in Afghanistan

• Pakistan targets 1.3 million PoR holders for deportation crackdown.
• Thousands cross Chaman and Torkham daily, fearing arrest.
• Grandi stresses urgent aid for Afghanistan, calls donor support vital.

ISLAMABAD: The UN refugee chief has urged Pakistan to pause its mass expulsions of Afghan refugees after a devastating earthquake in eastern Afghanistan killed nearly 1,500 people.

"Given the circumstances, I appeal to the Government of Pakistan to pause the implementation of the Illegal Foreigners Repatriation Plan," Filippo Grandi, UN High Commissioner for Refugees, said on X. He warned that those being forced out are "returning to a disaster zone".

His appeal came as rescue teams continued struggling to reach survivors after the shallow, magnitude-6.0 quake struck the mountainous region bordering Pakistan late Sunday, collapsing mud-brick homes as families slept. 

Taliban government authorities said 1,469 people were killed and more than 3,700 injured, with over 500,000 people affected — one of the country’s deadliest quakes in decades.

Pakistan has hosted Afghans fleeing violence for more than four decades, from the Soviet invasion to the 2021 Taliban takeover. Some refugees were born and raised there, while others have been awaiting relocation to third countries. Various cohorts of Afghans have found differing degrees of stability, including access to work and education.

However, Islamabad, citing a rise in militant attacks and insurgent campaigns, launched a crackdown in 2023 to evict Afghans, describing the population as "terrorists and criminals". More than 1.2 million Afghans have since been forced to return, including over 443,000 this year alone, according to the United Nations.

The campaign has most recently targeted an estimated 1.3 million refugees holding UNHCR-issued Proof of Registration (PoR) cards, with a September 1 deadline set for them to leave or face arrest and deportation. 

UNHCR spokesman Babar Baloch told reporters in Geneva on Tuesday the agency was "preparing for significantly more returns in the coming days" due to the deadline.

Border officials report a sharp rise in crossings since the deadline expired. At the Chaman crossing, more than 4,000 people have left, according to local administrator Habib Bangulzai. In Spin Boldak on the Afghan side, migrant registration official Abdul Latif Hakimi said 250 to 300 families are returning daily since August 31.

At the Torkham crossing further north, more than 6,300 PoR holders returned on Tuesday alone, with nearly 63,000 PoR cardholders recorded entering Afghanistan since April. UNHCR data shows a surge in crossings between 24 and 30 August, with 25,490 returnees, including 13,525 PoR holders.

Analysts say the evictions are designed to pressure Afghanistan’s Taliban administration, which Pakistan accuses of sheltering militants behind a rise in border attacks. The Taliban denies the allegations.

Grandi said aid from donors, including Pakistan, remains "vital and welcome" as Afghanistan grapples with the aftermath of the quake.