Pakistani authorities expelled 7,849 migrants on Monday, November 17, according to figures by the Taliban’s commission for refugees, as Islamabad continues deportations.
An additional 382 Afghans were also deported from Iran during the same period, the commission said, citing both voluntary and forced returns.
The returnees entered Afghanistan through major border crossings at Torkham and Spin Boldak in the border with Pakistan, and Islam Qala and Silk Bridge along the Iranian frontier.
The surge in deportations follows escalating tensions between the Taliban and Pakistan and a directive issued earlier this month by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif of Pakistan to intensify efforts to identify and remove undocumented migrants.
On Sunday, just a day prior, Pakistan deported 7,744 Afghans, many of them forcibly removed from cities across the country, including Islamabad’s Faisal Town and Rawalpindi. Rights groups have raised concerns about due process and the treatment of those detained.
Since the start of the campaign, Pakistani police have detained scores of Afghans, transferring many to temporary holding facilities ahead of expulsion. The crackdown has drawn criticism from international human rights organizations, who warn of worsening humanitarian conditions for returnees.
The twin pressures from Pakistan and Iran have strained Afghanistan’s capacity to absorb returnees, particularly as the country grapples with economic hardship and political isolation under Taliban rule.
