319 Afghan Prisoners Released from Pakistani Jails and Repatriated in One Month

The Migrants’ Issues Commission announced that in the past month, 319 Afghan prisoners have been released from Pakistani prisons and repatriated to Afghanistan. According to the commission, these individuals were detained in various cities across Pakistan and were returned to Afghanistan following follow-ups by the Taliban administration’s representatives.

Ahmadullah Wasiq, the spokesperson for the commission, stated that most of these migrants were arrested by Pakistani police due to lack of legal residency documents, illegal entry, or expired visas. He added that their release process was carried out in cooperation with the Afghan embassy and consulates in Pakistan.

In recent months, arrests and deportations of Afghan migrants from Pakistan have increased. Pakistani officials have repeatedly emphasized that they will take action against individuals lacking legal residency documents, a stance that has caused widespread concern among migrant families.

Migrant rights activists say the root causes of ongoing migration are the lack of employment opportunities and economic challenges within Afghanistan—issues that the Taliban administration has yet to effectively address. Seyed Abdul Basit Ansari, an activist in this field, stressed that host countries should separate migrant issues from political matters and treat migrants based on humanitarian principles and international legal standards.

Another migrant rights activist, Murtaza Rasouli, also stated that the release of prisoners can be seen as a positive step, as many detained Afghans in various countries are held in difficult conditions and do not have full access to their legal rights.