A late-night police raid in November last year shattered his sense of belonging to Pakistan.
Khan was born in South Waziristan, in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa region, after his parents fled the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. Since the 1990s, his family has resided in Islamabad’s suburbs in mud-plastered houses without electricity or other utilities.
Currently, Khan is on Pakistan’s deportation list.
“Being an Afghan seems a curse on our existence,” Khan stated during a recent interview with Al Jazeera, where he recalled that police officers had threatened to take away all the men from his home.
Four of his brothers were arrested and accused of living in the country “illegally” only after much pleading, though their detention ended after two weeks when a court granted them bail.
The entire family possesses an Afghan Citizenship Card (ACC), a government-issued identification for Afghan citizens living in Pakistan. In the last two years, from September 2023 to February 2025, a government crackdown has forced out nearly 850,000 Afghans from Pakistan, including women and children.
Hundreds of thousands of ACC-holding Afghans, like Khan, face deportation from April 1, after spending most of their lives in Pakistan.
“We know nothing about Afghanistan. We’ve lived, made friends, and started businesses here. If the government insists, we will leave, but we will come back,” Khan claimed, insisting that “This is our home.”
Pakistan’s Deportation Plan
Pakistan, according to government estimates, currently hosts more than 2.5 million Afghans.
Among them, approximately 1.3 million have a Proof of Registration (PoR) card, introduced in 2006 and issued by the UN refugee agency UNHCR. Another 800,000 hold an ACC, issued in 2017.
These documents used to be recognized as proof of legitimate residence in Pakistan. Not any longer.
A recent two-page document outlined a three-phase relocation plan from Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s office, focusing on different categories of Afghan residents. The first phase aims at deporting those viewed as undocumented – including ACC cardholders.
The government stands firm on its decision, despite pleas from the UNHCR and international rights organizations, including HRW and Amnesty International.
The imminent deportation starting around Eid, a festive occasion on March 31, has drawn criticism, with many seeing it as a wrongful effort to demonize Afghan nationals.
Pakistan points to issues like criminal activities and tensions with Afghanistan’s Taliban government as reasons behind the plan.
HRW and Amnesty International have called on the Pakistani government to reconsider its stance, accusing it of violating its own commitments and international obligations to refugees and asylum seekers.
Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry contests these claims, asserting that the government has met its obligations and does not have to consult the UNHCR. Meanwhile, the UNHCR expresses concern for ACC holders possibly needing international protection.
’Why are we being pushed away?’
Khan, originally from Kunduz in Afghanistan, moved to Islamabad in the early 90s and has stayed ever since.
Khan’s room is modest, with rough walls, folded mattresses, and a rug, where he and his mother, Guldana Bibi (71), live. She lamented having lived in Pakistan for four decades, with her entire family born there.
Khan, who with his brothers ran a business that was on and off due to government crackdowns, questions how economic progress is possible amidst constant disruption and corruption.
’This café is my life’
Benazir Raofi, a 35-year resident of Pakistan and owner of a lively, colorfully decorated café, shares a similar story of adjustment and fear under the new deportation plan. Her café, which she won a grant to establish, became a community space following the Taliban takeover of Kabul.
Despite health issues and theft, Raofi grew comfortable in Pakistan. She fervently resists the idea of leaving, considering the café her life and the city her home for 35 years.
