July 15, 2026
By Muhammad Danial
PESHAWAR
Ajmal Khan, who belongs to Afghanistan, has been running a scrap business in Peshawar for the past 14 years. His warehouse deals in the buying and selling of iron, plastic, and other used goods, and the livelihoods of several families depend on this business. But the government’s policy on the return of Afghan citizens, along with recent crackdowns, has cast a shadow of uncertainty over his future.
Ajmal Khan says he built this business through years of hard work, and now leaving everything behind to go to Afghanistan is extremely difficult for him.
“My warehouse and business are worth millions of rupees, but right now no one is willing to pay its real value,” he says with a sorrowful tone.
“People know we are helpless, so they want to buy our warehouse and goods for next to nothing. How can we sell off our life’s earnings like this?” Ajmal Khan asks.
Ajmal’s family came to Pakistan around 40 years ago, when the current visa and passport system was not in place and Afghan citizens were allowed to live here.
“Back then, no one asked for documents; today, even getting documents made has become an almost impossible task,” he says. According to him, since the crackdowns began on July 10, he lives in constant fear of arrest and deportation. “I’m not just worried about where I’ll live — I’m worried about the business I built over years of hard work. If it’s lost, where will I start over from?” Ajmal Khan says.
Malang Jan, an Afghan citizen who works as a laborer in Ajmal’s warehouse, is also caught in the same uncertainty. He says: “My children study in a government school, but now we’re being told not to send them to school. My children themselves aren’t willing to go to Afghanistan, because their education is going on here, and if we return, it will be left incomplete.”
Malang Jan supports his family through daily wage labor. “I don’t have enough money to go back to Afghanistan, move my belongings there, or rent a vehicle. How can a man who earns his bread day by day undertake such a huge journey?” he asks. Malang Jan demands that “Pakistan and Afghanistan should reach a solution through mutual dialogue, so that Afghan citizens settled here for years are not suddenly rendered homeless.”
According to Supreme Court advocate Saif Mohib Kakakhel, the law provides protection to Afghan citizens. “If an Afghan citizen is being harassed, or if someone is trying to buy their property or business at throwaway prices through force or pressure, or if their ownership rights are being affected, they can approach the court. The court can issue appropriate orders to protect the affected person’s property and legal rights,” advocate Kakakhel explains.
However, he warns that the situation on the ground is different: “Under current circumstances, Afghan refugees face numerous legal complications. Many people are being forced by their circumstances to sell their properties and businesses for far less than their actual value, while some are taking unfair advantage of this situation, which is neither legally nor morally acceptable.”
Meanwhile, under federal government directives, crackdowns against Afghan citizens residing in Pakistan without valid visas have intensified across the country, including Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, since July 10, 2026. According to official and international figures, more than 2.4 million Afghan citizens have left Pakistan since September 2023.
Business circles say that Afghan citizens who have established businesses, property, and livelihoods in Pakistan over several decades need a clear and fair strategy to protect their assets and legal rights, so that they are not deprived of their life’s savings due to circumstances beyond their control.