Pakistan wants to deport millions of Afghans. In one region, they have no plans to go

PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AP) — Akber Khan is seeing a brisk trade at his restaurant in the northwest Pakistani city of Peshawar. Staff fan skewers of grilled meats and dole out rice and salad.

As an Afghan, Khan ought to be leaving as part of a nationwide crackdown on foreigners the Pakistani government says are living in the country illegally. But the only heat he feels is from the kitchen.

“I have been here for almost 50 years. I got married here, so did my children, and 10 of my family members are buried here. That’s why we have no desire to leave,” he said.

Khan is one of more than 3 million Afghans that Pakistan wants to expel this year. At least a third live in the northwest province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and that’s just those with documents like an Afghan Citizen Card or proof of registration.

It is not clear how many undocumented Afghans are in the country.

The provincial government — led by the party of imprisoned former premier Imran Khan — appears reluctant to repatriate Afghans. Mountainous terrain, sectarian violence and an array of militant groups have also challenged the central government's expulsion ambitions.

“Afghans can never be completely repatriated, especially from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, as they return using illegal channels or exploiting loopholes in the system despite fencing at the border,” said Abdullah Khan, managing director of the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies. “Many villages along the border are divided between Pakistan and Afghanistan, and people in the past three or four decades were never stopped from visiting either side.”

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s proximity to Afghanistan, together with shared ethnic, cultural and linguistic ties, make it a natural destination for Afghans. The province has hosted significant numbers since the 1980s.

Many Afghans have integrated, even marrying locals. The region feels familiar and it’s easier to access through legal and illegal routes than other parts of Pakistan.

While the provincial government was cooperating with federal counterparts, policy implementation remained slow, analyst Khan told The Associated Press.

“The (local) government is sympathetic to Afghans for multiple reasons," he said. "They share the same traditions and culture as the province, and former Prime Minister Imran Khan during his days in power consistently opposed coercive measures toward Afghan refugees.”

Authorities are also wary about unrest, with Afghans living in almost all of the province’s cities, towns and villages.

Although police were raiding homes in Islamabad, Rawalpindi and other cities in Punjab and Sindh province farther from the border, the “lack of aggressive enforcement” was the main reason for the slow repatriation rate, analyst Khan said.

Pressure on Pakistan to have a change of heart — from rights groups, aid agencies and Afghanistan's Taliban government — could also be a factor.

More than 35,000 Afghans have left Pakistan since the start of April through the northwest Torkham crossing. It’s a far cry from the volume seen in the early phases of the expulsion campaign in 2023, when hundreds of thousands fled to beat a government-imposed deadline to leave.

Many recent deportations have been from eastern Punjab, which is hundreds of kilometers from the border and home to some 200,000 Afghans with documents.

At a highway rest stop on the outskirts of Peshawar, a truck carrying 30 Afghans stopped to give passengers a break before they left Pakistan for good. They had come from Punjab. Families nestled among furniture, clothes and other items. A woman in a burqa, the covering commonly seen in Afghanistan, clambered down.

Ajab Gul said the actions of Pakistani officials had forced them to leave: “We didn’t want to go. They raided our houses two or three times. We are going under duress.”

Another truckload of passengers from Punjab pulled over by the Torkham border crossing to speak to the AP.

Jannat Gul outlined the dilemma that awaited many. “Our children’s education (in Afghanistan) has been destroyed. We’re going there, but we have no connections, no acquaintances. In fact, people often call us Pakistanis. No one regards us as Afghan.”

There were happier scenes at the Kababayan refugee camp in Peshawar, where children played and ate ice cream in the sunshine. The camp, established in 1980 shortly after the Russian invasion of Afghanistan, is home to more than 15,000 people and has schools, a health center, electricity and drinking water.

School is a crucial reason Afghans want to stay in Pakistan, because the Taliban have barred girls from education beyond sixth grade.

Muhammad Zameer, a camp resident, said girls’ education was “non-existent” across the border.

Other camp residents have a different concern: their Afghan husbands. Afghan men face deportation, and their local wives are unhappy.

Some are fighting to get their husbands a Pakistani identity card, which unlocks basic public services as well as indefinite stay, property ownership, bank account access and employment.

Some wives said they are willing to fight anyone deporting their husbands.

“I never imagined the government would treat my husband like this,” said one, Taslima. “If they take him, I will stop them."

Associated Press writer Munir Ahmed in Islamabad contributed to this report.

An Afghan cook works in an Afghan restaurant at a market in Peshawar, Pakistan, Tuesday, April 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Muhammad Sajjad)

Afghan nationals work in an Afghan restaurant at a market in Peshawar, Pakistan, Tuesday, April 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Muhammad Sajjad)

An Afghan cook, right, works in an Afghan restaurant at a market in Peshawar, Pakistan, Tuesday, April 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Muhammad Sajjad)

An Afghan national, left, attends to a customer at his Afghan traditional jewellery shop at a market in Peshawar, Pakistan, Tuesday, April 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Muhammad Sajjad)

An Afghan national waits for customers at his traditional Afghan clothing shop at a market in Peshawar, Pakistan, Tuesday, April 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Muhammad Sajjad)

Afghan refugee women walk at Kababayan Refugee Camp in Peshawar, Pakistan, Tuesday, April 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Muhammad Sajjad)

Afghan refugee women enter a health center at Kababayan Refugee Camp in Peshawar, Pakistan, Tuesday, April 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Muhammad Sajjad)

Afghan refugees sit at a grocery shop at Kababayan Refugee Camp in Peshawar, Pakistan, Tuesday, April 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Muhammad Sajjad)

Afghan refugee Hukam Khan, left, waits for customers on his stall at Kababayan Refugee Camp in Peshawar, Pakistan, Tuesday, April 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Muhammad Sajjad)

Afghan refugees discuss the situation following Pakistani government plan to expel them at Kababayan Refugee Camp in Peshawar, Pakistan, Tuesday, April 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Muhammad Sajjad)

Afghan national Muhammad Zameer speaks during an interview with The Associated Press at Kababayan Refugee Camp in Peshawar, Pakistan, Tuesday, April 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Muhammad Sajjad)

An Afghan refugee girl peers through a torn curtain at the entrance of her home at Kababayan Refugee Camp in Peshawar, Pakistan, Tuesday, April 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Muhammad Sajjad)

DALLAS (AP) — Colin Blackwell was hoping for another crack at the playoffs when he signed with the Dallas Stars in free agency last summer. This is his sixth team in seven NHL seasons, and he had only been in the postseason one other time.

After being a healthy scratch for the Stars' playoff opener, he got his shot and changed the trajectory of their first-round series against Colorado with his overtime goal for a 4-3 win in Game 2 on Monday night.

“I always felt my game’s kinda built for the playoffs and stuff along those lines. I love rising to the occasion and playing in moments like this” Blackwell said. “That was a big win for us. I think if we go into Colorado down 2-0, it’s a different series. I think that’s why you’re only as good as your next win or your next shift.”

Blackwell's only previous playoff experience was a seven-game series with Toronto in a first-round loss to Tampa Bay three years ago.

Stars coach Pete DeBoer talked to Blackwell when he didn't play in Game 1 on Saturday.

“(I) said be ready, you’re not going to be out long,” DeBoer said. "I wanted to get him in Game 2. He's one of those energy guys. I thought after losing Game 1 we needed a little shot of energy. He’s a competitive player and I thought he was effective all night. But it’s also great to see a guy like that get a goal, out Game 1, work with the black aces, and then come in and play a part in playoff hockey.”

Blackwell scored 17:46 into overtime after his initial shot ricocheted off teammate Sam Steel and Avs defenseman Samuel Girard in front of the net. But with the puck rolling loose on the ice, the fourth-line forward circled around and knocked it in for the winner.

The 32-year-old Blackwell, a Harvard graduate who played for Chicago the past two seasons, said he has often had to go in and out of lineups and has learned over the years to stay sharp mentally and keep working hard on and off the ice. In his first season for Dallas, he had 17 points (six goals, 11 assists) over 63 regular-season games.

“It’s been a long season, and not playing the first game, stuff like that, just kind of been in and out of the lineup toward the end here,” he said. “I don’t really worry about making a mistake. I just go out there and play hockey and good things happen.”

And they certainly did for the Stars, who were in danger of dropping their first two games at home in the first round for the second year in a row before his winning shot. Game 3 is Wednesday night in Denver.

“Colin’s one of those guys, especially me being out, I get to see how hard he works every day,” said Tyler Seguin, who missed 4 1/2 months after hip surgery before returning last week. “I get to see how he is in the gym. I get to see how good of a basketball player he is. There’s many things that I get to see with some of these guys that are in and out of the lineup. You’re just proud of a guy like him and what he did.”

AP NHL playoffs: https://apnews.com/hub/stanley-cup and https://apnews.com/hub/nhl

Dallas Stars players celebrate a game-winning goal by Colin Blackwell, not pictured, during overtime in Game 2 of a first-round NHL hockey playoff series against the Colorado Avalanche early Tuesday, April 22, 2025, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

Dallas Stars center Colin Blackwell, right, is congratulated by teammates center Tyler Seguin (91) and goaltender Jake Oettinger (29) after scoring the game-winning goal against the Colorado Avalanche during overtime in Game 2 of a first-round NHL hockey playoff series early Tuesday, April 22, 2025, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

A shot by Dallas Stars center Colin Blackwell (15) gets by Colorado Avalanche goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood, right, for the game-winning goal during overtime in Game 2 of a first-round NHL hockey playoff series early Tuesday, April 22, 2025, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

Dallas Stars center Colin Blackwell (15) celebrates his game-winning goal with teammates defenseman Ilya Lyubushkin (46) and center Sam Steel (18) during overtime in Game 2 of a first-round NHL hockey playoff series against the Colorado Avalanche early Tuesday, April 22, 2025, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

Dallas Stars center Colin Blackwell, left, and teammate center Sam Steel (18) react after Blackwell scored the game-wining goal on Colorado Avalanche goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood, second from right, during overtime in Game 2 of a first-round NHL hockey playoff series early Tuesday, April 22, 2025, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)