Pakistan considers options as US halts Afghan relocation

ISLAMABAD:

Pakistan is confronting a fresh policy dilemma over the fate of thousands of Afghans who had been allowed to stay temporarily in the country under a US-sponsored relocation programme.

The uncertainty follows President Donald Trump's decision to indefinitely suspend the initiative after the recent attack in Washington, throwing into limbo the future of Afghans who worked with American forces during the two-decade war.

Official sources told The Express Tribune that Pakistan had been "closely monitoring" developments in Washington. "If the United States decides not to take these individuals, then Pakistan will be left with no option but to send them back," a senior official said on the condition of anonymity. "Islamabad cannot indefinitely host a population that was never meant to stay here permanently."

The suspended programme designed to facilitate the relocation of Afghans who served alongside US troops, contractors, and agencies during the American presence in Afghanistan. After the Taliban's return to power in August 2021, Washington worked with Islamabad to allow these Afghans to enter Pakistan on a temporary basis for vetting and onward processing.

Pakistan accepted thousands of such individuals, many with families, on the understanding that their stay would be short and strictly for transit purposes.

The US had assured Islamabad that all eligible Afghans would be relocated after security clearances and administrative formalities. However, the abrupt shutdown of the programme has created deep concern in Pakistani official circles.

"We offered temporary hospitality at Washington's request," another official said.

"Pakistan does not have the economic capacity nor the political space to absorb this population permanently."

The suspension comes at a sensitive moment, as Pakistan continues its broader repatriation campaign targeting Afghan refugees, a policy that has already prompted the return of nearly a million Afghans, though officials maintain that the group awaiting US relocation is legally and administratively distinct.

"These individuals were here under a formal US arrangement. That is why their cases cannot be mixed with undocumented migrants," the official clarified. "But now Washington's decision has altered the status quo."

The Taliban government, for its part, has repeatedly urged neighbouring states to repatriate Afghan nationals, insisting that the security situation in the country has improved.

Human rights groups, however, warn that former interpreters, aid workers, and others associated with the US mission remain vulnerable to persecution.

Several of these Afghans currently residing in Pakistan expressed anxiety after news of the programme's suspension.

Pakistani officials privately acknowledge that the stalled relocation process has added friction to an already complex bilateral relationship. Islamabad has repeatedly urged Washington to expedite the processing of Afghan applicants, arguing that delays create both security risks and humanitarian burdens.

Diplomatic sources say Pakistan has been engaging US officials to seek clarity on the future of the programme. However, Trump's indefinite suspension, announced in the aftermath of the Washington attack, signals a sweeping shift in US immigration policy, with deep implications for partners like Pakistan that cooperated during the chaotic 2021 evacuation.

"If the US shelves the programme permanently, Islamabad will have to make a difficult call. Keeping these Afghans indefinitely is simply not sustainable," said the official.

For now, Pakistan is expected to wait for an official communication from Washington before making a final decision.

As uncertainty deepens, thousands of Afghan families remain stranded, caught between an America that no longer appears willing to take them and a Pakistan that insists it cannot host them indefinitely.