Pakistan deported 6,209 migrants on Saturday, August 30, while Iran deported 1,677, according to the Taliban’s Commission on Refugees and Repatriation. The figures show a sharp rise in deportations from Pakistan and a reduction in the expulsions from Iran.
The migrants entered the country via the Torkham, Spin Boldak, Angoor Adda, and Milak (Brahmancheh) border points.
The surge in deportations comes as the deadline for Afghan refugees holding Proof of Registration (PoR) cards expires today. In the past two weeks, approximately 3,500 to 4,000 refugees have been expelled daily from Pakistan, marking a growing wave of forced returns. By contrast, deportations from Iran are tapering off, with current rates ranging around 1,600 to 1,700 per day.
The latest figures raise the overall number of Afghans forced or voluntarily returned from Iran and Pakistan to roughly 2.3 million, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). Many returnees suffer from psychological distress, the agency says.
UNHCR warned that returning women and girls face escalating restrictions on their rights in Afghanistan, while ethnic and religious minorities, human rights defenders, and journalists remain at high risk.
“With limited capacity to absorb such large numbers of returnees, existing humanitarian needs, rising unemployment, and natural disasters pose compounding challenges for Afghanistan,” the agency added.
