Doctors Without Borders (Médecins Sans Frontières, MSF) has called on Pakistan to immediately halt the forced deportation of Afghan refugees, warning that thousands are living in constant fear of arrest, losing their livelihoods and being expelled from the country.
In a statement released on Tuesday, MSF said many Afghan refugees avoid visiting healthcare facilities because they fear being detained by Pakistani authorities. Others seek medical care only after their conditions have become severe.
The organization warned that the situation is contributing to preventable health problems, including child malnutrition and serious pregnancy-related complications.
MSF also shared the testimony of an Afghan refugee who said he was arrested during a police operation despite holding valid residency documents. According to his account, his wife, who was three months pregnant, suffered severe psychological distress after his arrest, experienced heavy bleeding and lost the pregnancy.
The medical charity said fear of deportation has also reduced employment opportunities for Afghan refugees, leaving many families struggling to earn enough income to meet their basic needs.
According to MSF, its mobile clinics in Quetta, the capital of Pakistan’s Balochistan Province, recorded alarming levels of acute malnutrition among children during the early months of 2026. One-third of the children examined were diagnosed with acute malnutrition, including 7.6 percent with severe acute malnutrition and 25.7 percent with moderate acute malnutrition.
The organization said approximately 90 percent of patients receiving treatment for malnutrition at its clinics were Afghan refugees, the majority of them women and children.
MSF urged Pakistan and other countries hosting Afghan refugees to refrain from carrying out forced returns until conditions inside Afghanistan allow refugees to return safely and voluntarily, in accordance with international humanitarian principles.
