Pakistan expelled 2,988 Afghan nationals on Monday as part of its ongoing campaign to remove migrants lacking legal documents, the Taliban-run Commission for Refugees Affairs said on Tuesday.
The commission said a further 176 Afghans were returned from Iran during the same period, through a mix of forced and voluntary repatriations. According to the commission, the returnees entered Afghanistan through the Torkham, Spin Boldak, Bahramcha, Islam Qala and Pul-e Abrisham border crossings.
Pakistan expelled 4,470 Afghans the previous day, most of them forcibly, the commission said.
The returns come as Pakistani media report that authorities have demolished Gardi Jungle, the largest Afghan refugee settlement in Balochistan, which previously housed about 70,000 people. The camp, located in Chagai district, had been cleared of residents before being torn down.
Pakistani media have reported that all migrants at the site were sent back to Afghanistan after identity verification and residency checks. Local officials said demolition of vacant houses and shops in the former camp had begun, adding that the process was carried out in line with provincial regulations.
Pakistan has said the measures are part of a broader policy to repatriate migrants who lack valid documentation.
