Afghan Refugees in Pakistan Report Home Raids, Bribes and Imprisonment Amid Taliban Tensions

Amid escalating tensions between the Taliban and Pakistan, thousands of Afghan refugees in the country are facing frequent home raids, extortion and imprisonment by Pakistani police and military, refugees and an activist said.

Refugees described police raiding homes three or four times a week, demanding large bribes such as 300,000 Pakistani rupees ($1,070) from one family, and beating and imprisoning those unable to pay. Asad, an Afghan refugee, said: "They don't even respect a dead migrant. There is no humanity, dignity, or forgiveness in the police of this country... They raid migrants' homes three or four times a week and take huge sums of money. Those who don't pay or don't have money are transferred to prison with beatings and full-scale violence."

Dozens of Afghan women, children and men are imprisoned without committing crimes or undergoing legal procedures, the refugees said. Children are traumatized, confined at home instead of attending school, and constantly anxious about police arrivals. Temporary shelters lack capacity due to closed border crossings, leading to transfers to prisons.

Visa processing and extensions have stopped, with house-to-house deportation efforts ongoing. In Islamabad suburbs, Pakistanis receive 10,000 rupees ($36) rewards for reporting Afghan migrants, said Shahbanu Javedi, a civil society activist and refugee. "The general situation of migrants in Pakistan is very dire," she said.

Nik Bakhsh Arefi, another refugee, said refugees, especially women and children, are victims of the Taliban-Pakistan conflict despite fleeing Taliban-created security problems in Afghanistan. Communication blackouts have left many uncertain about relatives' fates, heightening concerns.