HELMAND PROVINCE, Afghanistan — Afghan migrants who were forcibly deported from Pakistan in recent months say they returned home with little more than the clothes on their backs and now face dire living conditions.
Many of these migrants, now clustered in a remote corner of Helmand Province, described their struggles to rebuild their lives.
Taj Mohammad, who had lived in Pakistan for more than four decades, said he and his family were expelled despite holding legal migration documents. He also recounted mistreatment by Pakistani authorities.
“The government in Pakistan is such that if someone pays money to the police, they are released, but if they don’t pay, the police arrest them,” Mr. Mohammad said.
Other returnees spoke of their frustration with the lack of economic opportunities in Afghanistan. Jobs are scarce, they said, and the cost of living is unmanageable.
“There is no work here either. We are hopeless,” said Azizullah, a resident of Helmand. “The rent for the house we are living in is between 1,000 and 1,500 Afghanis. Houses are scarce, and we are living in extreme hardship.”
Pakistan began its forced deportation campaign on Nov. 1, 2023, despite international criticism. Authorities said the effort was aimed at “undocumented migrants,” but deportees have said the process swept up many with legal documents.
Some migrants also reported being prohibited from taking their money and belongings with them, compounding their financial struggles.
“We returned to Afghanistan empty-handed,” one deportee said.
