The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) has raised alarm that pregnant Afghan refugee women in urgent need of medical care are avoiding hospitals out of fear of arrest by the police.
In its latest report, the Commission revealed that Afghan refugees suffering from other illnesses are also refraining from seeking treatment for the same reason. Some clinics, it noted, have even refused to treat Afghan patients without valid visas, further endangering lives.
The HRCP stressed that such practices not only violate human dignity, but also contradict Pakistan’s constitutional obligations and commitments under international human rights law.
The Commission warned that Afghan women and girls, if forcibly returned, would face the Taliban’s system of gender apartheid, stripping them of their most basic rights.
Since September 1, 2025, Pakistan has launched a new phase of deportations of Afghan refugees — a move that has sparked fresh waves of fear, particularly among women and girls. Many of them fled to Pakistan in recent years to escape Taliban repression and the loss of personal freedoms. Now, they face the looming threat of forced return to a regime that endangers their lives and futures.
Previously, Afghan refugees in Pakistan had already expressed fears of detention and deportation, saying these fears prevented them from visiting hospitals.
