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ISLAMABAD:
Pakistan faces a new political dilemma over the fate of thousands of Afghans who were temporarily allowed to stay in the country under a US-sponsored relocation program.
The uncertainty follows President Donald Trump’s decision to indefinitely suspend the initiative after the recent attack in Washington, leaving the future of Afghans who worked with US forces during the two-decade war in limbo.
Official sources told The Express PAkGazette that Pakistan had been “closely monitoring” developments in Washington. “If the United States decides not to accept these individuals, then Pakistan will have no choice but to send them back,” a senior official said on condition of anonymity. “Islamabad cannot indefinitely house a population that should never have been here permanently.”
The suspended program was designed to facilitate the relocation of Afghans who served alongside US troops, contractors and agencies during the US presence in Afghanistan. After the Taliban’s return to power in August 2021, Washington worked with Islamabad to allow these Afghans to enter Pakistan temporarily for investigation and further processing.
Pakistan accepted thousands of such people, many of them with families, on the understanding that their stay would be short and strictly for transit purposes.
The United States had assured Islamabad that all eligible Afghans would be relocated after obtaining security clearances and administrative formalities. However, the abrupt closure of the program 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 or political space to absorb this population permanently.”
The suspension comes at a sensitive time, as Pakistan continues its broader repatriation campaign targeting Afghan refugees, a policy that has already led to the return of nearly a million Afghans, although officials maintain that the group awaiting relocation to the United States is legally and administratively distinct.
“These individuals were here under a formal agreement with the United States. That is why their cases cannot be mixed with undocumented immigrants,” the official clarified. “But now Washington’s decision has altered the status quo.”
The Taliban government, for its part, has repeatedly urged neighboring states to repatriate Afghan citizens, insisting that the security situation in the country has improved.
However, human rights groups 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 following the news of the program’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 speed up the processing of Afghan applicants, arguing that delays create both security risks and humanitarian burdens.
Diplomatic sources say Pakistan has been contacting US officials to seek clarity on the future of the program. However, Trump’s indefinite suspension, announced after Washington’s attack, signals a radical shift in US immigration policy, with profound implications for partners like Pakistan that cooperated during the chaotic 2021 evacuation.
“If the United States permanently shelves the program, Islamabad will have to make a difficult decision. Keeping these Afghans indefinitely is simply not sustainable,” the official said.
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 a United States that no longer appears willing to take them in and a Pakistan that insists it cannot take them indefinitely.
