ISLAMABAD; Islamabad Police have raided a guesthouse in the F-8/2 sector on Park Road housing Afghan nationals enrolled in the German Embassy’s humanitarian support program, detaining multiple individuals and sparking fears of imminent deportations.
According to Afghan refugee representatives in the capital, eight families living at the facility now risk being sent to Afghanistan via the Haji Camp detention center in Peshawar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
The detainees are beneficiaries of Germany’s Federal Admission Program — a humanitarian scheme designed to relocate Afghans who face threats under Taliban rule due to their past work with German institutions, international organizations, or in high-risk professions such as journalism, the judiciary, and human rights advocacy.
More than 2,000 Afghans are currently staying in German government-supported accommodations in Islamabad, having received formal letters of acceptance under the program while awaiting visa processing.
Refugees involved in the scheme told newsmen that dozens of Afghans have been detained in the last three days, with about 40 reportedly deported to Afghanistan. Humanitarian agencies warn that those sent back could face reprisals, arrest, or worse due to their past affiliations and advocacy work.
The German Federal Admission Program was launched following the Taliban’s return to power in August 2021, amid an international scramble to evacuate and resettle individuals at high risk.
While many beneficiaries are in legal limbo awaiting the completion of bureaucratic processes, they remain vulnerable to police action due to Pakistan’s tightening immigration enforcement and the expiry of temporary stay permits for many Afghan nationals.
Neither Islamabad Police nor the German Embassy in Pakistan has issued an official statement regarding the latest raid, but refugee advocates are urging authorities to halt deportations until relocation procedures are complete.
