Following the expiration of the legal stay deadline for Afghan refugees in Pakistan, they are facing arrest and forced deportation.

Afghan refugees in Islamabad told TOLOnews that after the deadline ended, they are experiencing difficult conditions, including detention and expulsion.

“Refugees can neither sleep nor eat. The situation of Afghan refugees in Pakistan is very bad,” said An Afghan refugee in Pakistan.

“In the past two days, Pakistan has intensified widespread operations in cities such as Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Peshawar, Lahore, and Karachi, and Pakistani police have arrested hundreds of Afghan asylum seekers,” said Zahir Bahand, an Afghan journalist in Pakistan.

Pakistani media have also reported that police arrested 60 Afghan refugees in search operations in Rawalpindi and Islamabad.

Meanwhile, The Express Tribune reported that Ali Amin Gandapur, the chief minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, has called for granting permanent residency to Afghan refugees.

Pakistani media wrote: “After the expiry of a deadline for their voluntary return to Afghanistan, authorities in Pakistan on Thursday swung into action and arrested 60 illegal Afghan migrants from different areas of Rawalpindi and Islamabad during a search operation.”

“Humanitarian organizations, the current government of Afghanistan, and international institutions must engage in dialogue with the host government and postpone these deportations to a later date,” said Mohammad Khan Talebi, a migrants rights activist.

Previously, the Associated Press reported that the legal residency deadline for Afghan refugees in Pakistan had been extended until April 10, but even so, Afghan refugees continue to face pressure and harassment.