Pakistan Deports Over 7,000 Afghan Refugees in 48 Hours as Border Tensions Escalate

Pakistan has expelled more than 7,000 Afghan refugees in just 48 hours, triggering fresh alarm over a rapidly unfolding refugee crisis against the backdrop of rising military tensions with neighbouring Afghanistan.

The accelerated deportations come as Islamabad intensifies security operations and openly accuses Kabul of sheltering militants linked to the Pakistani Taliban.

As buses packed with families cross the border, the crackdown is exposing the fragile intersection of migration, security and diplomacy in a region already on edge.

Mullah Hamdullah Fitrat, deputy spokesman for the Afghan government, shared the figures from the High Commission for Addressing Migrants' Issues on his X account.

Military Tensions with TTP

According to the Pakistani military, a large percentage of TTP combatants, some even 70%, are Afghan citizens, an indicator that highlights the legitimacy of the crackdown by Islamabad.

Pakistan has been undertaking a series of cross-border military operations within Afghanistan in recent weeks, striking militant hideouts and also in the border regions. Such activities have also worsened the relationship between the governments, which was already sour, with the Afghan government rejecting the attacks as a breach of sovereignty.

Violence has increased in the border regions due to the recent conflicts, taking a toll on both sides.

The Pakistani government defends their military actions as being forced to protect its people and ensure that stability is upheld, but its critics claim that they run the risk of destabilising the region further and heightening the violence.

Mass Deportations And Repatriation

The latest deportation campaign involved over 3,500 Afghan refugees being deported in several crossings across the border, namely, Islam Qala in Herat, Pul-i-Abresham in Nimroz, Spin Boldak in Kandahar, Bahramcha in Helmand, and Torkham in Nangarhar.

Mullah Hamdullah Fitrat highlighted the magnitude of the repatriation operation.

He said that another 3,610 Afghan migrants had been deported on the past day, by Iran and Pakistan.

Implications For Refugees in Afghanistan

The deportation has a profound implication on the Afghan refugees, most of whom have been residing in Pakistan for years. As about three million Afghans are living in Pakistan, which is its neighbouring country, the continuous expulsions will pose a threat to further worsening of humanitarian disasters, poverty, and instability of the population in Afghanistan and in the border areas.

The Afghan government, under the Taliban, has shown its desire to accept the returning refugees; however, they have appealed to international partners to help. The mass repatriation operation highlights the weakness of regional-level relations and the difficulty of controlling cross-border migration during a conflict.

The fact that thousands of Afghan refugees are expelled into the country reflects the interconnectedness of the security, migration and diplomacy issues, and the possibility of developing into a larger crisis in case there is no solution to the problem at the diplomatic level.

The following weeks will be crucial in deciding whether tensions can be reduced or will escalate to a crisis that will affect millions of people on both sides of the border.

For now, the mass return of Afghan refugees stands as a stark reminder that unresolved conflicts rarely stay confined.

In South Asia's fragile borderlands, migration, militancy and diplomacy are moving in lockstep, and the consequences are already being felt by the most vulnerable.