As Pakistan's November 1 deadline for undocumented migrants to leave the country approaches, many Afghans, like Muhammad Rahim, find themselves in a desperate situation. Born in Pakistan, married to a Pakistani woman, and raising children there, Muhammad Rahim lacks Pakistani identity documents and must leave Pakistan.
The Taliban government in Afghanistan has reported that around 60,000 Afghans returned from Pakistan between September 23 and October 22 in response to Pakistan's announcement on October 4 that it would expel undocumented migrants who refused to leave.
There has been a significant increase in daily returnee figures, with recent numbers up to three times higher than normal, according to the Taliban refugee ministry spokesman Abdul Mutaleb Haqqani.
The looming deadline has prompted an exodus, with transportation services from Karachi to Afghanistan experiencing an increase in demand. Many families are being torn apart, as Afghans with valid papers are also choosing to leave due to state-backed harassment.
While the Pakistani government defends its expulsion plan, citing international norms and principles, the policy threatens to separate families and disrupt the lives of Afghans who have spent decades in Pakistan. Pakistan hosts over 4 million Afghan migrants and refugees, of whom approximately 1.7 million are undocumented.
Pakistan's decision to expel undocumented migrants followed suicide bombings this year, for which the government blamed Afghans without providing evidence. The government also accused Afghan migrants of involvement in smuggling and other militant activities.
The return of documented Afghans to Afghanistan is also on the rise, with 14,700 documented Afghans returning from Pakistan as of October 18, 2023, more than double the number in the entire previous year. According to UNHCR data, 78 percent of recent returning Afghans cited fear of arrest in Pakistan as the reason for their departure.
The influx of returning migrants and refugees is straining resources in Afghanistan, where unemployment has risen significantly, and two-thirds of the population is in need of humanitarian aid.
The situation has left Afghans who grew up in Pakistan and have no real connection to Afghanistan in a state of desperation. They must leave the only home they have ever known as the November 1 deadline approaches.
