At least 1,400 Afghan families returned to Afghanistan from Iran and Pakistan over the past week, according to figures by Taliban-run refugees ministry.
The movement comes amid increased deportations of Afghan migrants by the two neighboring countries.
According to figures provided by the ministry and reported by Taliban-run Bakhtar News Agency, 1,073 families crossed back from Iran, while another 327 families returned from Pakistan. Of those arriving from Pakistan, 126 families entered via the Torkham border crossing, and 201 families through the Spin Boldak crossing. Meanwhile, 430 families from Iran arrived via the Silk Bridge border crossing, with another 643 families returning through the Islam Qala crossing.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has reported that over 1.6 million Afghans have sought refuge in Iran and Pakistan since the Taliban’s return to power in 2021, fleeing violence and economic instability. The two countries now host a combined Afghan population of more than eight million, according to the UN agency.
The report also highlighted that Afghans now make up the largest refugee population in the world, surpassing Syrians. In the first half of 2024 alone, more than 156,000 Afghans returned from Pakistan, a trend that has intensified following a shift in Islamabad’s policies.
Pakistan, which hosts roughly 1.3 million registered Afghan refugees alongside an additional 1.5 million Afghan nationals, introduced the “Illegal Foreigners Repatriation Plan” in 2023. The policy targets the repatriation of over one million undocumented foreign nationals, many of them Afghans. The change has further pressured Afghans to return home despite ongoing challenges in Afghanistan.
