Pakistan Plans to Deport Nearly 20,000 Afghans Awaiting US Resettlement

Pakistan's government has decided to deport 19,973 Afghan refugees waiting to be transferred to the United States, according to a report in The Nation newspaper citing its sources.

The federal government plans to share information on these individuals with relevant departments and send letters to senior provincial officials in Punjab, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan, as well as authorities in Kashmir, Gilgit-Baltistan and the chief commissioner of Islamabad, instructing them to immediately arrange for the deportations.

The report comes amid ongoing repatriations, with Pakistan having recently deported some Afghans who were on lists for US resettlement. Deported refugees previously told The Washington Post that Pakistani officials no longer believe the United States is taking serious action to resettle Afghans in the country.

In November, Afghan refugees in Pakistan issued a statement urging the US government to resume the resettlement program for eligible migrants, saying they should not suffer due to the actions of Rahmanullah Laknwal. Laknwal, who fled to the US after the Taliban's takeover, shot two US National Guard soldiers near the White House on November 5, with one soldier dying from injuries the following day.

US President Donald Trump responded by halting processing of all Afghan migrant cases, announcing reviews of previously admitted Afghans and suspending visas for Afghan passport holders indefinitely. Trump stated the suspension has "no time limit" and will remain in place "for a long time."

Tens of thousands of Afghans fled to neighboring countries including Pakistan after the fall of the previous government, with many waiting over four years for resettlement in destinations such as the US.