The Islamic Republic of Pakistan hosts some 1.3 million Afghan refugees and over 1.5 million Afghans of other status, shouldering a large share of the collective responsibility to protect them. Pakistan’s long-standing and commendable tradition of hospitality toward those in need of asylum was challenged in 2023 by the government’s implementation of the “Illegal Foreigners Repatriation Plan” (IFRP), which sought to repatriate over one million foreign nationals without valid documents. Since the roll-out of the IFRP, some 647,000 Afghans, mostly those undocumented, returned to Afghanistan as a result of pressure and fearing arrest as at the end of June 2024. Numbers of returns in 2024 have significantly decreased, following a pause in the roll-out of the IFRP. RRP partners continue to highlight the risk of involuntary returns from Pakistan and Iran. Women and girls, journalists, musicians, artists, and ethnic minorities, in view of the human rights situation in Afghanistan, are particularly at risk. 

In light of these challenges, the SSAR Support Platform continues to galvanize international solidarity and assistance for Pakistan, in alignment with the Global Compact on Refugees (GCR). In 2024, a Regional Refugee Response Plan (RRP) for the Afghanistan Situation was launched to bolster the efforts of host governments, with a focus on promoting resilience and ensuring that the needs of both Afghan refugees and their host communities are met.