UPDATE: 16/07/2024
Last week, INcontext reported on Pakistan’s decision to deport Afghan refugees lacking valid documentation. In a recent development, Pakistan has announced an extension for the registration cards of 1.45 million Afghan refugees. These cards, which had expired, will now be valid until 30 June 2025.
While this extension allows 1.45 million Afghan refugees holding valid Proof of Registration (POR) cards to remain in the country, Pakistan will continue to deport individuals deemed “illegal immigrants”.
Despite the extension, many Afghan families remain concerned. In some households, only one member may possess a POR card, leaving the rest of the family without proper documentation and at risk of deportation.
Please join us in prayer:
- Thank the Lord for the extension made by the Pakistani government as it is a relief for many Afghan refugees.
- Pray for Afghan refugees as they navigate these challenging circumstances and as their situation continues to be dire.
- Pray that the Christian community in Pakistan be a beacon of love and support for Afghan refugees and that they would be instrumental in pointing them to Christ – the only source of hope!
Article written: 11/07/2024
By Isolde Doubell
Pakistan has hosted millions of Afghan refugees since the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979. The last big wave of migration came after the Taliban seized power in August 2021. By 2023, approximately four million Afghan refugees were residing in Pakistan. An estimated 1.7 million of these were undocumented, but refugees have accused the government of making it difficult and expensive to obtain the required registration. On 3 October 2023, Pakistan’s newly elected government endorsed a National Action Plan to repatriate Afghans without valid documents, requiring them to leave Pakistan within a month. The reasons being cited as a struggling economy and security concerns amidst a steep increase in armed attacks across Pakistan. The Pakistani Taliban or Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan (TTP), a close ally of the Afghan Taliban, has been launching attacks from Afghan soil, where the government says the Afghan Taliban provides them with a safe haven. The Afghan Taliban denies these allegations. Last year alone, more than 700 attacks killed nearly 1,000 people.
Between September 2023 and June 2024, 649,600 refugees have returned to Afghanistan as a result of pressure or fear of arrest. Though the call was for undocumented migrants to leave, many Afghans with valid documentation have complained of being detained, pressured for bribes, or harassed to leave the country. Some of these Afghans were born in Pakistan and know no other country, or even language. Despite criticism from Kabul and the concerns voiced by human rights bodies and the U.N, Islamabad has continued with its repatriation programme, going ahead with a second phase, which will include documented Afghans holding Pakistan-issued Afghan Citizen Cards (ACC) in the repatriation plan.
The Taliban government, which has not been recognised by any country as a legitimate government except China, has denounced deportations of Afghan migrants by Pakistan and Iran. The U.N. estimates that more than 1.5 million refugees have returned to Afghanistan from Pakistan and Iran since January 2023. In a country where more than half of the population is in need of relief assistance and hundreds of thousands of Afghans are unemployed, this is a huge crisis. The U.N. appealed for around $3 billion in funding to support Afghan humanitarian programmes in 2024, but the appeal is only 20% funded six months into the year. Critics attribute the aid decline to, among other factors, the Taliban’s severely restrictive stance on Afghan women regarding education, work, travel, and health care.
In Pakistan, the church is persecuted, but not “underground” and many Afghan refugees could connect with other Christians in Pakistan. A friend of INcontext who also fled Afghanistan after 2021, reports: “As we all know, there’s not a good political relationship between Afghanistan and Pakistan, but the people in Pakistan are always kind to Afghan refugees. After the Taliban took over, most of our network fled to Pakistan. The churches did not close their doors to them, reminding us that regardless of nationality, we are one in Christ. My daughters knew many people who converted to Christianity in Pakistan because they experienced God’s love in various ways. Most Christian families resettled in Brazil and Canada from Pakistan. The Pakistani government has now deported many Afghans who lacked valid documentation, but many of them find solace in knowing that God’s love transcends borders.” Another ministry friend assisting Afghans with their visa processes testified that there are accounts of Afghan refugees still receiving visas in Pakistan if they are able to pay the application fees, but unfortunately it is too expensive for most refugees.
In Afghanistan Christians are seen as infidels and can face the death penalty. Open Doors ranks Afghanistan as tenth on its World Watch List of the top 50 countries where it’s most difficult to follow Jesus. But, there is some hope for Afghan Christians online. “Believers in Afghanistan are in danger and under oppression,” said John Kim, Korean founder of the online Afghan Bible College (ABC). Through their online ministry, ABC staff reported 300 new believers in Christ in Afghanistan since 2020. Students are discipled with videos of testimonies, worship, and short sermons. Though not a substitute for personal ministry, radio, satellite TV, and the internet can give some form of fellowship to scattered Christian individuals.
Please join us in praying for the following:
- For Afghan refugees returning to Afghanistan for an encounter with Jesus, the only One who can bring hope
- For Christians in Afghanistan to grow in faith and truth
- For the Pakistani government to treat Afghan refugees justly and humanely
