Afghan Women in Pakistan Fear Deportation Amid PoR Non‑Renewal

(PAKISTAN) Afghan women in Pakistan are bracing for deportation as the government advances the Illegal Foreigners’ Repatriation Plan, now in its third phase targeting refugees who hold United Nations–issued Proof of Registration (PoR) cards. After the government allowed PoR cards to expire on June 30, 2025—and announced they will not be renewed—more than 1.3 million registered Afghans have been rendered undocumented and face arrest, detention, and removal. Rights groups and the UN refugee agency warn that forced returns to Taliban‑controlled Afghanistan put women and girls at particular risk.

As of mid‑2025, authorities say the three‑phase campaign, first launched in October 2023, has already driven large numbers back across the border. Phase one focused on unregistered Afghans and led to more than 468,000 returns by the end of 2023. Phase two, which began on April 1, 2025, targeted roughly 800,000 holders of Afghan Citizen Cards (ACC). Phase three covers PoR cardholders whose documents expired on June 30, 2025, and are no longer recognized. Since October 2023, more than 1.08 million Afghans have left Pakistan, many under pressure to depart quickly.

According to analysis by VisaVerge.com, the non‑renewal decision marks a clear shift: it removes the temporary, renewable status that PoR cards provided since 2006 and exposes long‑settled families to sudden enforcement. Afghan women, who fled limits on education, work, and daily life after the Taliban takeover in 2021, now face a choice many describe as impossible—risk detention in Pakistan or return to a country where their basic rights are severely restricted.

Policy timeline and scale

Pakistan’s Ministry of Interior confirmed it would not extend PoR validity beyond the June 30 deadline, a move that converts lawful stay into irregular presence overnight for more than 1.3 million PoR holders. Officials have framed the Illegal Foreigners’ Repatriation Plan as a response to security concerns and irregular migration. Enforcement has expanded from border districts into major cities.

In Islamabad and Rawalpindi, authorities ordered Afghan nationals to depart in April 2025, signaling a tougher approach in urban centers.

The PoR system—created with UNHCR support in 2006—gave registered Afghans proof of identity and temporary protection renewed year to year. It covered families who have lived in Pakistan since the Soviet war era, as well as newer arrivals who fled after August 2021. Ending renewals removes a buffer that many relied on for school enrollment, health visits, and work arrangements, even if informal.

Police operations have intensified. Afghan women activists recount late‑night checks and aggressive searches. One activist, Hosseina Rafi, said officers tried to force entry by breaking locks and threatened arrest if the family did not produce documents on the spot. Community advocates say such actions have spread fear among households that once felt modest stability under the PoR framework.

“UNHCR has urged Pakistan to halt forced returns and uphold the principle of non‑refoulement,” noting that women and girls are especially exposed if removed to Afghanistan given severe limits on schooling, employment, and movement.

Spokesperson Babar Baloch warned of heightened risks. Human rights groups, including Amnesty International, have echoed those warnings and documented cases of families pushed into return without time to prepare.

Human impact

The practical effects reach far beyond border crossings. Doctors Without Borders (MSF) reports that deportation fears keep many Afghans, especially women, from seeking care. In parts of Pakistan, cultural rules mean women often need a male relative to accompany them to clinics. Families now weigh that custom against the risk of police stops, making delays in treatment more likely.

Health consequences reported include:

• Missed prenatal visits
• Interrupted medication regimens
• Reduced access to routine health services

Daily life has narrowed in other ways. Parents hesitate to send children to school, afraid that routes may involve checkpoints. Wage earners cut back on market trips or shift to night labor to avoid attention. Women who once joined literacy classes or did informal work now stay inside, not wanting to answer the door.

The loss of PoR status has also blocked routine tasks that require ID:

• SIM registration
• Renting property
• School enrollment
• Formal employment

Each barrier deepens reliance on informal networks and increases the chance of exploitation.

Legal, resettlement, and civil-society responses

Refugees in line for resettlement to third countries fear they will be forced out before their cases move. Community leaders say families with confirmed referrals or pending security checks still face eviction notices. Without recognized documents, they cannot show police a legal basis to wait. Lawyers note the policy change has left little room to challenge deportation orders, adding to the sense that people now live at the mercy of raids and ad‑hoc deadlines.

Civil society groups have tried to fill the gap. Afghan women activists plan peaceful protests, including one scheduled in Islamabad on August 15, 2025, to urge a pause on removals and to ask for renewed protections for PoR holders. Organizers say they will call for clear channels for medical visits, school access, and safe reporting of abuse. They also acknowledge that public action carries risk in the current climate.

Pakistan’s government, for its part, has kept the policy on track. Officials argue that the country has hosted millions for decades and that irregular migration and security threats require firm steps. The Ministry of Interior publishes policy notices and press statements on its website, including updates related to foreign nationals and removals.

Track official announcements at the Ministry’s portal: https://www.interior.gov.pk/.

Scale and stakes

As the third phase progresses, the numbers remain stark:

For Afghan women, the stakes are finely personal: whether they can keep daughters in school, whether a pregnancy check can go ahead, whether a husband’s day job can continue without an ID card that police now treat as invalid.

For many, each day now turns on a document check, a knock, a decision outside.