Over 1,800 Afghan Migrants Expelled from Pakistan and Iran in One Day
The Taliban’s High Commission for Migrant Affairs announced that on Monday, January 4th, a total of 1,808 Afghan migrants were expelled from Pakistan and Iran. According to the information, 1,210 individuals returned from Pakistan and 598 others from Iran, both forcibly and voluntarily, to Afghanistan.
According to the commission, the expelled migrants entered the country through the border crossings of Torkham, Spin Boldak, Pul-e-Obe, and Islam Qala; these routes have recently become central hubs for the large-scale return of migrants.
This statistic was released a day after Pakistan and Iran expelled 4,520 Afghan migrants, a majority of whom were reportedly forced to leave.
Earlier, the United Nations warned that over 2.6 million people, mostly from Iran and Pakistan, would be returned to Afghanistan in 2025; a process that, the UN stated, is placing severe pressure on the country’s limited resources and service capacities.
Alongside increasing expulsions, reports have emerged of heightened detentions of Afghan migrants in Pakistan. Some migrants have previously told media outlets that they faced mistreatment by police during the detentions.
International organizations have repeatedly emphasized that many returnees enter the country without access to shelter, work, or basic services; a situation that, together with the Taliban administration’s lack of effective support programs, increases the risk of expanding poverty, renewed displacement, and humanitarian crises.
