Afghans in Pakistan
Afghans in Pakistan (Urdu: افغان مهاجرين, Afghān muhājirīn, lit. 'Afghan migrants') are temporary residents from Afghanistan who are registered in Pakistan as refugees and asylum seekers.[2] They fall under the jurisdiction of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).[3][4] Most of them were born and raised in Pakistan during the last four decades.[5] Additionally, there are also Special Immigrant Visa applicants awaiting to immigrate to the United States.[6][7][8][9]
The Pakistani government began admitting Afghans after the beginning of the Soviet–Afghan War in 1979; by the end of 2001, there were over four million of them on the Pakistani side.[10][11][12] About 75% of them have returned to their native country of Afghanistan since 2002.
As of October 2023, the United Nations estimates that nearly 3.7 million Afghans reside in Pakistan, while Pakistani authorities believe the number to be as high as 4.4 million.[13][14][15] Of these, only a few hold the required documentation allowing them to legally stay in Pakistan.[13] As of June 2023, approximately 1,333,749 registered refugees still remain in Pakistan according to UNHCR.[10] On 3 October 2023, the Interior Minister of Pakistan Sarfraz Bugti ordered that all undocumented immigrants, mainly nearly 1.73 million Afghan nationals, to voluntarily leave the country by 1 November 2023, or face deportation in a crackdown.[16]