At-risk Afghans in Pakistan live in hiding five years after Taliban takeover

September 5, 2026 at 01:19 PM2 min

This digest was compiled by AI from multiple sources — links to the originals are below.

Thousands of at-risk Afghans remain in hiding in Pakistan five years after fleeing the Taliban's 2021 takeover, awaiting resettlement while evading deportation. They include journalists, activists, and former Afghan government and security personnel who fear reprisals. Islamabad has forcibly deported hundreds of thousands of Afghans since 2023, while more than 2.6 million have returned to Afghanistan.

Key Facts

More than 2.6 million Afghans have returned to Afghanistan from Pakistan since a mass expulsion campaign began in 2023, according to the UN.
A former Afghan National Army officer said he was arrested and deported twice by Pakistani police in the last two years, each time bribing border police to reenter.
An Afghan women's rights campaigner lives in hiding outside Islamabad with her two brothers because their visas have expired.
Half of the former officer's family has resettled in Canada since 2021, while the rest remain in Afghanistan.

Hiding in Pakistan

Thousands of at-risk Afghans remain in Pakistan five years after the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan in 2021. They include journalists, activists, and those who served in the ousted US-backed Afghan government and its security and intelligence services. Many fear reprisal from the Taliban, which has been accused of extrajudicial killings and torture of former adversaries. Islamabad has forcibly deported hundreds of thousands of Afghans in recent years.

Personal Accounts

A 30-year-old former Afghan National Army officer said he was arrested and deported twice by Pakistani police in the last two years. Each time, he bribed Pakistan border police to let him reenter the country. He said the Taliban often checks returning Afghans at the border to identify former combatants, and if caught he would be jailed or executed. An Afghan women's rights campaigner said she lives with her two brothers in a remote area outside Islamabad to evade police after their visas expired. She said life is very difficult and they avoid visiting a doctor or hospital because they could be reported to the police.