Afghanistan

Deportations, return of Afghan migrants continue from Iran, Pakistan

A group of Afghan migrants in border near Pakistan. November 2023. File Photo.

As deportations and voluntary returns of Afghan migrants from Iran and Pakistan persist, nearly 4,000 individuals have returned to Afghanistan from Iran in the past two days, while Pakistan deported 451 individuals on Sunday, April 28.

The Taliban-run Ministry of Refugees reported that nearly 4,000 migrants were deported or voluntarily returned to Afghanistan from Iran through the Islam Qala border town in the western province of Herat and Nimroz province on Saturday and Sunday, April 27 and 29.

Additionally, the ministry noted that 451 Afghan migrants were deported from Pakistan on Sunday, April 28, as part of ongoing efforts to expel undocumented immigrants.

The individuals entered Afghanistan through the Torkham and Spin Boldak border crossings, according to the ministry.

Most of the returned individuals are women and children. Pakistan began deporting undocumented Afghan migrants in October 2023. Since then, more than 600,000 Afghan migrants have been deported from Pakistan, exacerbating economic hardships for many families amid a scarcity of jobs and shelter in Afghanistan.