Figures collected from Taliban commission for refugees show that more than 66,000 Afghan been expelled by Pakistan over roughly one month, as Islamabad continues the deportation of undocumented immigrants.
The figure covers the period from May 30 to July 2 and is based on reports by the Taliban’s High Commission for Addressing Migrant Affairs. The returnees entered Afghanistan through the Torkham, Spin Boldak and Bahramcha border crossings, with most reported as having been forcibly returned.
The actual number of returns during the period may be higher. The Taliban commission did not publish figures for six days in the latest week and three days in the preceding week, leaving a nine-day gap in the data reviewed by Amu.
The figures come amid signs that Pakistan has accelerated its campaign against undocumented Afghans. Pakistani news outlets, citing officials, have reported that nearly 6,000 Afghans are being returned each day.
That figure differs sharply from some of the Taliban commission’s daily reports. For Friday, for example, the commission reported that 1,840 Afghans had returned from Pakistan.
Pakistani media have also reported an increase in the number of people visiting registration centers operated by the National Database and Registration Authority, or NADRA. Daily visits have risen to between 1,200 and 1,300, from about 600 to 700 previously, according to those reports.
Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said in a message marking World Refugee Day on June 20 that at least 2.4 million Afghans had returned to Afghanistan between September 2023 and June 2026.
Sharif described the process as gradual, orderly and respectful of migrants’ dignity. International organizations, however, have raised concerns about arrests, pressure and rights violations affecting Afghans in Pakistan.
Iran has also continued returning Afghans. Amu’s review of the Taliban commission’s reports found that 3,507 people returned or were expelled from Iran during the same roughly monthlong period.
The large-scale returns are placing further strain on Afghanistan, where weak economic conditions, unemployment and pressure on basic services have complicated efforts to absorb millions of people returning from neighboring countries.
The United Nations Development Program recently warned that the return of about 2.3 million Afghans over a one-year period, combined with economic stagnation, climate shocks and natural disasters, was putting growing pressure on the country’s recovery.
The agency said many returnees had settled in poor communities in eastern and northern Afghanistan, increasing competition for jobs, housing, water and other essential services while stretching the limited capacity of host communities.
The UN agency also warned of declining access to health care, safe drinking water and education, particularly in rural areas and among women and girls. It called for greater investment in communities receiving returnees and for restrictions on women’s work and freedom of movement to be lifted.
