Evicted Afghan refugees huddle in Islamabad park, dreading return home

Saima, 27, with her three-week-old baby boy Danial, sleeps, as they, along with other families, take shelter at a public park after being evicted, as Pakistan has started to deport documented Afghan refugees ahead of its deadline for them to leave, in Islamabad, Pakistan, August 10, 2025. REUTERS/Akhtar Soomro

ISLAMABAD (Reuters) -Evicted from their homes and huddling under plastic sheets after heavy rains, Afghan refugees in a park near government offices in Islamabad said they had nowhere to go as Pakistan pressures landlords to expel documented families.

Among them is Samia, 26, from Afghanistan’s Hazara minority, a Shi’ite community long persecuted at home, who gave birth just three weeks ago.