Kabul has pushed back publicly against reported American plans to send more than 150 Afghan nationals from the United States to Pakistan as an intermediate step before their return to Afghanistan. In a video message posted on X on Monday, 2 November, a senior Taliban Foreign Ministry official expressed “serious concern” and warned that no decision about Afghan citizens should be taken without direct coordination with Kabul. The statement comes as Washington is reportedly preparing a charter deportation flight out of Louisiana — possibly as early as Monday — that advocacy groups say would land in Islamabad.
The unusually blunt remarks are aimed at both Washington and Islamabad, and they add a new diplomatic flashpoint to an already strained Pakistan–Afghanistan relationship.
Kabul’s warning: no deal without us
Hafiz Zia Ahmad Takal, who heads the Public Relations and Information Department at the Taliban-run Foreign Ministry, said Kabul considers the protection of its citizens’ rights its core responsibility “regardless of where those citizens are located.” He called on the United States to adopt what he described as a “responsible and judicious approach” and to make any decision concerning Afghan citizens only with “clear bilateral understanding, necessary coordination, and consideration of the rights and legitimate demands of the relevant individuals.”
In a pointed passage widely read as directed at Pakistan, Takal said third countries “should not engage in transactions regarding the fate of another country’s citizens for the sake of short-term limited privileges or other considerations, and should not undermine human dignity, rights, and accepted moral and humanitarian standards in their decisions and actions.”
He added that the Afghan side was ready to “engage in practical and mutually agreed-upon interaction” on the issue, signalling that Kabul wants a seat at the table rather than learning of the transfers after the fact.
The deportation plan Washington is reportedly preparing
According to the US-based advocacy group AfghanEvac, the US government is preparing to deport more than 150 Afghans on a charter flight out of Louisiana in the first week of November — possibly as early as Monday. The group says the passengers are Afghans who were unable to obtain legal residency documents in the United States. (Background on the deportation plan is covered in our earlier report.)
Shawn VanDiver, the organisation’s president, said he had evidence that at least 80 Afghans had been transferred to Louisiana from 34 other immigration detention centres across the country in recent days, 19 of them without legal assistance. He said the flight would land in Islamabad and include two women, adding that he did “not know what agreement has been reached between Washington and Islamabad on the matter.”
The US State Department confirmed to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty that an unspecified number of Afghans would be deported, stating that “all countries must be able to manage their borders and immigration processes in a manner that ensures the safety, security, and prosperity of their citizens.”
The New York Times reported on 30 October, quoting three US officials, that because Washington has no formal diplomatic relations with the Taliban, it cannot arrange deportations directly to Afghanistan. Instead, the detainees would be sent to Pakistan, which would then send them on to Afghanistan. Some of those facing removal are relatives of Afghans who assisted US forces before the 2021 withdrawal, and advocacy groups — including Refugees International — have warned that sending them back could endanger their lives.
Pakistan stays quiet as tensions with Kabul run high
Pakistani officials have remained tight-lipped about the reports. The country’s Foreign Ministry did not respond to multiple calls and emails seeking comment, according to RFE/RL.
The silence is notable given how fraught the Pakistan–Afghanistan relationship has become. The two countries have been in a diplomatic deadlock since October 2025, with sporadic and bloody clashes along their shared border. Islamabad accuses the Afghan Taliban of providing sanctuary to the banned Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan on Afghan soil — a charge Kabul rejects, saying it would not allow anyone to use Afghanistan’s territory against another country. Pakistan has also spent years pushing millions of Afghans back across the border under a nationwide repatriation policy.
For now, the key questions remain unanswered: whether the charter flight actually takes off this week, what — if anything — Islamabad and Washington have agreed, and how Kabul intends to respond if Afghans land in Pakistan without its involvement. What is clear is that the Taliban have drawn a public line: any move involving their citizens, they say, must go through them first.
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