Following the escalation of clashes between the Taliban and Pakistan, the situation of thousands of Afghanistan refugees in that country has become extremely dire. Refugees from Afghanistan in Pakistan say that the military personnel of this country recognize no “sanctity or boundary” and show no mercy to anyone, not even children and the sick. According to these refugees, they are now grappling with numerous psychological and mental problems, and their children are deprived of the most basic human rights. They add that their children, instead of going to school and playing, are imprisoned in the corners of their homes and constantly warn the adults with anxiety that “the police have come.” These refugees emphasize that due to the closure of border crossings, temporary shelters in Pakistan no longer have the capacity to accommodate detained refugees, and all of them are being transferred to prisons in that country. They say that due to the severance of communications, no one knows the fate of their loved ones in this country, and this situation has created serious and widespread concerns.
With the continuation of military clashes between Pakistan and the Taliban, thousands of refugees from Afghanistan in that country have found themselves in a difficult situation. These refugees say that although they were forced to leave their country due to threats from the Taliban, in Pakistan, too,o they are paying the price for the Taliban’s policies and are being arrested and imprisoned by that country. According to them, dozens of women, children, and men are currently languishing in prisons in uncertainty without having committed any crime and without going through legal procedures.
Asad, one of these refugees, says: “They do not even respect a dead migrant. Humanity, dignity, and forbearance are absent in the police of this country, and indeed, no one can be found to stop their oppressions. They have only rolled up their sleeves to rob migrants who do not even have bread to eat. In one week, they raid migrants’ homes three or four times and take huge sums of money. Those who do not pay or do not have money are transferred to prison with severe beatings and full-scale violence, violence that is not even permissible against a criminal.”
This refugee adds: “Why does Pakistan act so brazenly against refugees in suppressing them, in contradiction to human rights values? Why does no institution ask what is really happening? Yesterday, they raided a migrant’s home and took three lakh rupees from a family. That is, a migrant who, with a thousand hardships, provides for his living expenses—how many times and how much must he pay bribes to the police? Truly,y no one knows what is happening in this lawless jungle. There is no address to remind this country either.”
Shahrbanu Jawadi, a civil activist and one of the refugees from Afghanistan in Pakistan, says: “The general situation of migrants in Pakistan is very critical. The visa process has been stopped, and house-to-house inspection and deportation efforts continue. Pakistani police go to refugees’ homes for deportation, and in the cities around Islamabad, numbers have been announced so that any Pakistani who reports the presence of Afghan migrants receives a reward of ten thousand rupees. The situation has become very difficult for migrants.”
Nikbakht Arifi, another refugee from Afghanistan in Pakistan, says that refugees, especially women and children, have no connection to the war and clashes between the Taliban and Pakistan, but they are the main victims of these clashes. According to him, the majority of refugees were forced to leave Afghanistan due to security problems created for them by the Taliban, but the Pakistani police, without considering the refugees’ situation, arrest them and transfer them to detention centers.
This refugee adds: “The extension and issuance of visas has been stopped, and many refugees from Afghanistan have been waiting for months for the extension or issuance of their visas. The government of Pakistan should not stop issuing visas for Afghan migrants and should take necessary considerations in their deportation, because the majority of migrants currently residing in Pakistan have fled the wrong policies of the Taliban, and life in Afghanistan is difficult for them.”
Another refugee from Afghanistan in Pakistan says, “We came to Pakistan to complete the procedures for our refugee documents. At least in previous years, we were a bit comfortable during the month of Ramadan, but now, because of the Taliban’s actions, they raid homes day and night and arrest people. Previously, there were more restrictions in Islamabad, so we came to Peshawar, but now Peshawar has the same situation. Every day, they arrest people from outside and raid homes at night. There is no institution to come to the aid of migrants either.”
Meanwhile, a video clip obtained by the Hasht-e Subh Daily shows one of the women who fainted after being arrested, and the police of this country left her at the hospital and left. One of this lady’s relatives says that the Pakistani police paid no attention and arrested this patient in such a condition, and left her at the hospital. He says, “This patient is in a condition where even normal breathing is difficult for her.”
Ahmad Shah Rahimzai, one of the journalists who has been detained by Pakistani police for nearly two weeks despite having a valid visa, sent an audio to the media in which he complains about his bad situation and says he is being beaten by Pakistani police. In this audio clip, he says: “It has been approximately 13 or 14 days that I have been in detention. They have made my condition very bad. They beat me, even though I have a visa and am registered with the police. When they arrested me, they demanded money from me, but truly, I had no money to give. Now they are treating me very badly and say that you people are killing us, while we ourselves were forced to leave the country.”
Abdul Ahad, one of the Afghanistan journalists, and his wife, who are being held in Adiala Prison in Pakistan despite having valid visas, have also provoked reactions from Pakistani journalists. These Pakistani journalists have said that the order for his release was issued on 11 March, but he, along with his wife and children, is still in detention.
Meanwhile, Reporters Without Borders, in a statement, expressed serious concern over the arbitrary arrests and deportations of Afghan journalists in Pakistan and called for an immediate end to this suppression.
Also, hundreds of patients who were undergoing treatment in Pakistan, especially in the cancer treatment section at Shaukat Khanum Hospital, have found themselves in a difficult situation after the clashes between the Taliban and Pakistan. Due to blocked roads and a lack of funds to stay in Pakistan, they are struggling with numerous problems.
At the same time, hundreds of other patients whose treatment is not possible inside the country and imported medicines from Pakistan have also been cut off, have been waiting for months for the opening of the Torkham gate so they can go to Pakistan for treatment; but they continue to endure their pain and suffering in silence and take their last breaths of life in utter helplessness.
Noorullah Nayab, one of the teachers, has written: “It has been a decade since I regularly used six and a half pens of medicine twice a day and night. After the recent events, the medicine companies have changed, and therefore, the medicine I am using now does not have the effectiveness of the previous medicine. My pains have become more severe. Who is responsible for my pains?”
This is while the clashes between the Taliban and Pakistan have continued for nearly three weeks. On Friday night, March 13, 2026, Pakistan, in continuation of its airstrikes, bombed parts of Kabul, Kandahar, Paktia, and Paktika, resulting in the killing and wounding of several civilians.
The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) has announced that as a result of Pakistan’s airstrikes in the Pul-e Charkhi area of Kabul, four civilians were killed and 14 others were injured. At the same time, officials from both sides have continued to issue warnings and claims of inflicting heavy casualties on each other.
After the Taliban Ministry of Defense announced that a drone attack by this group targeted the “Hamza” military center in Faizabad, Islamabad, resulting in the killing of 14 military personnel of that country, Asif Ali Zardari, President of Pakistan, strongly condemned drone attacks on “civilian areas” of his country and said the Taliban have crossed the red line. He emphasized that Pakistan will not tolerate targeting civilians and will defend its people. Zardari also added that Afghan soil should not be used for carrying out terrorist activities against neighbors.
Pakistan also announced last night that its air forces bombed three areas in Kandahar city on Saturday night, March 14, 2026. Pakistani media also reported that these airstrikes were carried out at the headquarters of the Taliban Supreme Leader’s special forces in District 13 of Kandahar.
Pakistani officials are warning the Taliban of more bombings, while India’s Ministry of External Affairs has condemned Pakistan’s airstrikes on Afghan soil and said these actions have led to the killing of civilians and destruction of infrastructure.
Randhir Jaiswal, spokesperson for India’s Ministry of External Affairs, said that Pakistan is hostile to the idea of an “independent Afghanistan.” At the same time, the United States has supported Pakistan, and China’s special envoy is consulting to mediate between the two sides.
After the spokesperson for India’s Ministry of External Affairs said Pakistan is hostile to the idea of an “independent Afghanistan,” Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in a statement, accused India of creating regional instability. Pakistan described India’s protest as hypocritical and claimed that this country deliberately supports terrorist groups to weaken Pakistan’s security.
You can read the Persian version of this report here:
بیپناهی پناهجویان افغانستان؛ پاکستان زنان و کودکان را بهشکل بیرحمانه زندانی میکند
