Forced to leave Pakistan, Afghan nationals wary of what lies ahead in Afghanistan

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Updated 25 October 2023
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Forced to leave Pakistan, Afghan nationals wary of what lies ahead in Afghanistan

  • Many Afghan nationals born in Pakistan say they have never been to Afghanistan before
  • Pakistan has given illegal immigrants in the country till Nov. 1 to leave or face deportation

TORKHAM: As his family went to get their documents scanned at a center near Pakistan’s main border crossing with Afghanistan, Rehmatullah sat with their luggage inside a truck. Sipping tea and preoccupied with thoughts, he was one among many in Torkham waiting to cross the border into a land they had never called home: Afghanistan.

Hundreds of trucks carrying pieces of luggage of Afghan men, women and children were parked a few kilometers from the Torkham border in northwestern Pakistan’s Khyber district.

The border has been a busy one over the past few days, with many Afghan nationals using it to cross into Afghanistan since Pakistani authorities issued an ultimatum to illegal immigrants earlier this month: leave by Nov. 1 or face deportation.




Afghan refugees are seen awaiting their turn to cross into Afghanistan at the Pakistan-Afghanistan border in Torkham, Pakistan, on October 19, 2023. (AN Photo)

That creates problems for many Afghans in Pakistan like Rehmatullah, 27, who have never been to Afghanistan. Born in Rawalpindi, he referred to Pakistan as his homeland.

“This is the first time in my life I’m going to Afghanistan, and that too because we are forced to,” he told Arab News. “Now, leaving here feels like I’m leaving my own village, my own country.”




Rehmatullah Khan, an Afghan national, stands near a truck carrying his family's luggage near Torkham,Pakistan’s main border crossing with Afghanistan on October 19, 2023. (AN Photo)

Pakistan remains one of the world’s largest refugee host countries and has experienced multiple influxes of Afghan refugees. These span the period from the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979 to the Taliban takeover in 2021, after which some 600,000 Afghan refugees fled to Pakistan, according to the UN Refugee Agency. Before the Taliban takeover of Kabul, Pakistan was already hosting over 1.5 million Afghan refugees.

Rehmatullah’s family arrived in Pakistan around 48-49 years ago. A mechanic by profession, the Afghan national said his struggles in Pakistan have “gone to waste.”

“I have to go to Afghanistan and start a new life,” he lamented. “I have never been there before and I have no knowledge of the place.”

A recent surge in militancy and economic turmoil in Pakistan has made Islamabad wary of the presence of Afghan nationals in the country. Caretaker Interior Minister Sarfraz Bugti said earlier this month that of the 24 suicide blasts that have taken place in Pakistan since January, 14 were conducted by Afghans.




A view of trucks lined up to cross into Afghanistan at the border between Pakistan and Afghanistan at Torkham, Pakistan, on October 19, 2023. (AN Photo)

Pakistani authorities have clarified that only illegal immigrants, those without Afghan Citizen Cards (ACC) or Proof of Registration (PoR) documents, would be deported.

Rehmatullah, who neither possessed an ACC nor PoR card, said Afghan nationals who have legal documents allowing them to stay in Pakistan are also being targeted by authorities. 

“They raided people’s houses, and a couple of houses in our neighborhood,” Rehmatullah said. “They told people to evacuate and leave.

“For a person, nothing is more important than dignity, so we thought it’s better to leave with dignity.”

UN Refugee Agency spokesperson Qaiser Afridi said Afghan nationals who have PoR cards and voluntarily choose to leave Pakistan are first provided $375 per head. Later, after arriving in Afghanistan, each family is given $700 when they spend three to four months in the country.




Afghan refugees stand next to trucks carrying their luggage as they wait for their turn to to cross into Afghanistan at the Pakistan-Afghanistan border in Torkham, Pakistan, on October 19, 2023. (AN Photo)

“This is our voluntary repatriation process; this is how we facilitate the return of PoR card holders,” Afridi told Arab News. 

Afridi requested the Pakistani government to work on a “sustainable comprehensive mechanism” for Afghans who arrived in Pakistan after August 2021 and whose lives could be in danger if they returned to their country.

“Our stance is that the return should be voluntary, with dignity and with safety,” he said.

Muhammad Arif, 25, used to sell fresh fruit juices and milkshakes in the northwestern Pakistani city of Haripur. The Afghan national said he was compelled to leave after police and locals started harassing him and his family.

“The landlord told us to leave the house, claiming we didn’t have any documentation,” Arif told Arab News. “We showed the PoR cards we received in 2016.”




Muhammad Arif speaks with his brother as they wait for their turn to cross the border between Pakistan and Afghanistan at Torkham, Pakistan, on October 19, 2023. (AN Photo)

When he later went to Pakistan’s National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA), Arif was told his card had expired. 

Rehmatullah said he tried to obtain a Pakistani identity card as he was born here, adding that he did not want an Afghan Citizen Card.

“If I have to live here in Pakistan as an Afghan, then it’s better that I return to Afghanistan,” he said.


Pakistani investment firm, real estate developer launch country’s first Shariah-compliant hotel REIT

Updated 4 sec ago
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Pakistani investment firm, real estate developer launch country’s first Shariah-compliant hotel REIT

  • Real estate investment trusts allow investors exposure to property markets without directly owning assets
  • The REIT will finance a 139-room hotel in Hyderabad under a franchise deal with a global hospitality brand

KARACHI: A Pakistani investment firm on Wednesday announced the launch of what it described as the country’s first Shariah-compliant real estate investment trust (REIT) focused on the hospitality sector.

A REIT is a regulated investment vehicle that pools capital from investors to finance income-generating real estate, offering returns through rent or capital gains. It provides exposure to the property market without direct ownership of assets.

JS Investments Limited, one of Pakistan’s oldest private-sector asset and REIT managers, has partnered with real estate developer Gohar Group of Companies to establish the JS Hotel REIT in Hyderabad district, located in the southeastern Sindh province.

“As the manager of Pakistan’s first hotel REIT, we are pleased to offer investors a professionally managed and regulated investment vehicle backed by international hospitality standards,” the statement quoted Iffat Zehra Mankani, CEO of JS Investments Limited, as saying.

The REIT will finance the development of a 139-room hotel in Hyderabad under a franchise agreement with an international hospitality brand. The fund is currently open to accredited local and foreign investors through private placement.

The statement added the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) had granted regulatory approval for the fund, which is not being offered to the general public at this stage.

Pakistan’s REIT market remains small, though regulatory reforms in recent years have aimed to draw institutional investment into real estate through both conventional and Islamic finance structures.

The project will also feature environmentally responsible construction, according to the statement.


Pakistan PM directs task force to propose budget plan for low-cost housing

Updated 21 May 2025
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Pakistan PM directs task force to propose budget plan for low-cost housing

  • Pakistan faces a housing crisis, with the shortage particularly acute in urban areas
  • PM says ahead of the budget low-cost housing is his administration’s top priority

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Wednesday his administration is prioritizing the development of low-cost housing while directing a task force to present financing recommendations to include the facility in the upcoming budget.

Pakistan has been facing a housing crisis, with the World Bank suggesting two years ago it was short of an estimated 10 million housing units. The shortage is particularly acute in urban areas due to rapid population growth, unregulated expansion and high land and construction prices.

The federal budget, which will be presented to the National Assembly next month, is expected to outline measures to tackle the crisis as the new fiscal year begins in July.

“The government’s foremost priority is to facilitate access to housing through low-cost schemes,” Sharif said during a task force meeting to address the issue.

“Such projects will not only make residential units accessible to the common man but also stimulate economic growth and create employment opportunities,” he continued.

The prime minister instructed the task force to work with the finance ministry and banks to prepare detailed financing proposals for affordable housing, with the aim of making them part of the upcoming budget.

He also emphasized that developing the construction sector was key to sustainable economic growth.

Officials briefed the prime minister on ongoing reforms to the Condominium Act 2025 and Foreclosure Law, saying they were in their final stages and were expected to ease access to housing loans under the new schemes.


Pakistan says India using ‘terrorism’ as foreign policy tool after school bus attack in Balochistan

Updated 21 May 2025
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Pakistan says India using ‘terrorism’ as foreign policy tool after school bus attack in Balochistan

  • New Delhi rejects Pakistan’s allegation, calls it an attempt to deflect responsibility for internal failures
  • PM Sharif visits Balochistan after school bus bombing kills three children, leaves eight critically wounded

KARACHI: Pakistan urged the international community on Wednesday to condemn what it called India’s use of “terrorism” as a foreign policy tool, after a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device targeted a school bus in the southwestern Balochistan province, killing at least three children and injuring 39 others, including eight critically.

Balochistan, Pakistan’s largest province by landmass and rich in mineral resources, has long faced an insurgency led by separatist groups who accuse Islamabad of exploiting local resources while neglecting the population. The government denies the claims, citing investments in health, education and infrastructure.

In recent months, the insurgency has intensified, with groups like the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) carrying out high-casualty attacks on civilians and security forces, including taking hostages at a passenger train. Pakistan says it has evidence linking India to these attacks, though New Delhi has denied involvement and distanced itself from the Khuzdar school bombing.

However, Islamabad described the attack as a “sequel” to India’s missile and drone strikes earlier this month, accusing New Delhi of deploying militant proxies to destabilize the country, as Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Field Marshal Asim Munir visited the region to meet injured children in hospital.

“These terrorist groups — masquerading under ethnic pretenses — are not only being exploited by India as instruments of state policy, but also stand as a stain on the honor and values of the Baloch and Pashtun people, who have long rejected violence and extremism,” said a statement issued by the PM Office after Sharif’s visit to Quetta.

Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Field Marshal Asim Munir being briefed on the Khuzdar school bus attack, in Quetta on May 21, 2025. (Photo courtesy: Handout/PMO)

“India’s reliance on such morally indefensible tactics, particularly the deliberate targeting of children, demands urgent attention from the international community,” it added. “The use of terrorism as a tool of foreign policy must be unequivocally condemned and confronted.”

The prime minister and the accompanying delegation was briefed by Balochistan’s Chief Minister Sardar Sarfraz Bugti and local military officials on the attack, which also killed two soldiers and injured 53 people in total.

The official statement said Pakistan’s security forces and law enforcement agencies “will relentlessly pursue all those involved in this barbaric act,” vowing to bring “the architects, abettors and enablers of this crime” to justice.

It added the incident had exposed India’s “cunning role” to the world, revealing how it orchestrated militant violence while simultaneously portraying itself as a victim.

 

 

India’s Ministry of External Affairs earlier in the day rejected Pakistan’s allegations, describing them as Islamabad’s attempt to deflect responsibility for its own failings and internal issues.

The latest attack follows a brief military standoff between the two countries earlier this month, which ended in a ceasefire on May 10.

While hostilities along the border have subsided, both sides continue to trade diplomatic barbs, accusing each other of sponsoring terrorism and destabilizing the region.

School bus targeted in a suicide blast in pictured in Pakistan's southwestern Khuzdar district on May 21, 2025. (Jawad Yousafzai)

The attack in Khuzdar, which targeted children en route to an army-run school, was condemned by US Chargé d’Affaires Natalie Baker and UNICEF in separate statements.

It was also reminiscent of one of the deadliest militant attacks in Pakistan’s history when over 130 children were killed in a military school in the northern city of Peshawar in 2014. That attack was claimed by the Pakistani Taliban group.


India expels second Pakistani diplomat amid ongoing tensions

Updated 21 May 2025
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India expels second Pakistani diplomat amid ongoing tensions

  • India declares Pakistani diplomat persona non grata, orders him to leave the country within 24 hours
  • India expelled another Pakistani diplomat on May 13, prompting a tit-for-tat response from Islamabad

ISLAMABAD: India has expelled a second Pakistani diplomat within ten days, declaring him persona non grata for activities “not in keeping with his official status,” the external affairs ministry in New Delhi announced on Wednesday.

The move comes amid heightened tensions between the two countries following a military standoff earlier this month. Despite a ceasefire agreement reached on May 10, diplomatic relations between the nuclear-armed neighbors remain strained.

“The Government of India has declared a Pakistani official, working at the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi, persona non grata for indulging in activities not in keeping with his official status in India,” the Indian ministry said in its statement.

“The official has been asked to leave India within 24 hours,” it added.

This is the second such expulsion in recent weeks. On May 13, India expelled a Pakistani diplomat on similar grounds. In response, Pakistan declared an Indian High Commission staffer in Islamabad persona non grata.

The Indian ministry also summoned the Charge d’Affaires of the Pakistan High Commission to issue a demarche, emphasizing that Pakistani diplomats must not “misuse their privileges and status in any manner.”

As of now, Pakistan’s foreign office has not responded to the latest development.


Pakistan’s health minister assures Palestinian counterpart of medical support

Updated 21 May 2025
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Pakistan’s health minister assures Palestinian counterpart of medical support

  • Syed Mustafa Kamal meets Dr. Maged Abu Ramadan at the World Health Assembly in Switzerland
  • Israel has repeatedly targeted hospitals and health workers in Gaza, causing international concern

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s health minister Syed Mustafa Kamal informed his Palestinian counterpart that a framework has been developed to provide medical assistance to the people of Gaza, according to an official statement on Wednesday, during a meeting on the sidelines of the 78th World Health Assembly in Switzerland.

Kamal’s meeting with the Palestinian health minister, Dr. Maged Awni Muhammad Abu Ramadan, took place at a time when Israeli forces have repeatedly targeted hospitals and health facilities in Gaza, crippling the enclave’s health care system.

Israeli attacks have also led to international concern over violations of humanitarian norms in the war-torn Palestinian territory.

“We stand with our Palestinian brothers and will provide all possible medical support to heal their wounds,” the health ministry quoted Kamal as saying.

He strongly condemned Israel’s targeting of hospitals and health care workers, urging the international community to take concrete action to end the atrocities against Palestinians, including women and children.

“The brutality and oppression must stop,” he was quoted as saying. “The world must hold Israel accountable.”

Earlier this week, Pakistan condemned Israel’s targeting of hospitals in Gaza and described its announcement of taking control of the entire Palestinian territory as a “grave threat” to regional peace.

The remarks by the Pakistani foreign office came after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared his government wanted to take control of the Gaza Strip.