More than 683,000 Afghan migrants have been deported from Pakistan to Afghanistan between September 15, 2023, and July 31, 2024, according to a report by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
The number of deportations has surged since March, with the highest monthly totals recorded in May and June, when approximately 38,000 Afghans were sent back each month. In July, the number slightly decreased, with nearly 36,000 deportations reported.
The UNHCR report also highlighted a visit by a delegation from the German Parliament’s Foreign Relations Committee on Afghanistan to Pakistan on July 12. During the visit, the delegation met with students from the Albert Einstein German Academic Refugee Initiative, Proof of Registration (PoR) cardholders, and newly arrived Afghan nationals to discuss third-country resettlement and livelihood opportunities. The delegation expressed appreciation for Pakistan’s efforts in managing the refugee situation and pledged continued advocacy at the governmental level in Berlin.
In response to flash floods and storms that struck eastern Afghanistan on July 15, inter-agency humanitarian teams, including staff from UNHCR and Women for Afghan Women, were deployed to Nangarhar, Laghman, and Kunar provinces. The report indicated that the initial assessments counted 58 fatalities and 380 injuries in the hardest-hit areas, many of which are home to large populations of displaced Afghans and returnees.
In July 2024, UNHCR and its partners provided humanitarian assistance to an estimated 758,925 people across all 34 provinces of Afghanistan.
Pakistan intensified its efforts to detain and deport Afghan refugees residing in the country without proper documentation after implementing a deportation policy in October 2023.
