The Taliban administration has called on Iran to treat Afghan migrants with greater leniency and allow them time to return to Afghanistan voluntarily, according to a statement released by the Taliban’s Ministry of Refugees.
The request was made during a meeting between Abdul Kabir, the acting minister for refugees under the Taliban, and an Iranian delegation that included Mohammad Reza Bahrami, an adviser to Iran’s foreign ministry, and Alireza Bigdeli, head of the Iranian diplomatic mission in Kabul.
According to the Taliban statement, Kabir proposed that the two countries hold formal talks between their respective refugee ministries to reach a mutual understanding on the treatment and return of Afghan nationals.
Kabir also said that the Taliban are preparing a legal framework to provide documentation for Afghans whose legal stay in Iran has expired, with the aim of allowing them to remain in the country temporarily.
During the meeting, Iranian officials reportedly invited Kabir to visit Iran and present his proposal to Iranian authorities regarding a structured plan for the return of Afghan migrants.
Bahrami was quoted in the Taliban’s statement as saying that approximately 8 million Afghans are currently living in Iran. Of those, about 4 million either lack legal documentation or possess documents that have expired.
As of Friday, neither Iran’s foreign ministry nor its diplomatic mission in Kabul had commented publicly on the meeting.
