A number of former Afghan judges living in exile in Pakistan have expressed growing concern over the country’s ongoing deportation campaign targeting undocumented Afghan nationals. In interviews with Future Afghanistan, they said they fled to Pakistan following the Taliban’s return to power in August 2021 to protect themselves and their families from potential persecution.
Among them is Abdul Wasi Hamid, a former judge and member of the Afghan Judges Association, who said his visa expired approximately eight months ago, leaving him vulnerable to deportation.
Hamid warned that returning to Afghanistan would place his life at serious risk.
“When the former Republic government collapsed, I was serving as an active judge,” he said. “If I am deported to Afghanistan, the Taliban will likely arrest me because of my previous judicial decisions. I sentenced individuals affiliated with the Taliban for human rights violations and security-related crimes, and in some cases issued death sentences in accordance with the law. For this reason, I have no doubt that I would face imprisonment or even death.”
He called on countries with relocation and protection programs for at-risk Afghan judges to expedite assistance for him and his family. He also urged the Pakistani government to consider the security risks facing former Afghan judicial officials and refrain from deporting them.
Hamid added that many former Afghan judges have submitted cases to the United Nations and various foreign governments, but have yet to receive a clear outcome.
Another former judicial official, Zabihullah Noori, who previously served as a department head at Afghanistan’s Supreme Court, said his visa expired long ago and that he has been unable to renew it.
According to Noori, Pakistan largely suspended visa issuance and extensions for many Afghan nationals following tensions between Pakistan and the Taliban administration, leaving him and his family at risk of removal.
He said he has an active resettlement case with Germany, but remains uncertain about its status.
“There are nearly 40 judges and prosecutors facing the same situation,” Noori said. “We have not received any clear or convincing response regarding our cases. If we are deported to Afghanistan, we could fall into the hands of individuals whom we previously sentenced for human rights abuses, violations of the law, and other serious crimes. Some of those individuals are now in positions of power, while others continue to operate freely.”
Another former Afghan judge in Pakistan, who requested anonymity due to security concerns, voiced similar frustrations over the slow pace of resettlement procedures.
“Whenever we contact the German embassy, we are told that our cases are still under review,” he said. “Meanwhile, many newly arrived applicants from Iran and Afghanistan appear to have their cases processed more quickly and are transferred to Germany within a relatively short period. We have been waiting for years in uncertainty. We urge the German authorities to provide clarity and bring this prolonged process to an end. If we are returned to Afghanistan, the lives of our children and families will be at serious risk.”
The concerns raised by former members of Afghanistan’s judiciary come as Pakistan intensifies efforts to deport undocumented Afghan nationals. The Pakistani government has recently instructed security and intelligence agencies to accelerate the implementation of deportation measures, raising fears among vulnerable Afghan refugees who remain in the country while awaiting resettlement decisions from third countries.
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