Former Afghan President Hamid Karzai has called on regional countries to suspend the mass deportation of Afghan refugees, warning that the dire humanitarian and economic situation inside Afghanistan renders conditions unfit for return.

In a statement shared on his official X (formerly Twitter) account, Karzai said: “While we understand the challenges host countries face due to the large presence of refugees, the worsening situation inside Afghanistan has created circumstances in which the necessary conditions for their return do not exist. Forcibly sending them back in the current situation would not only add to the existing burdens, but could also create greater risks and serious threats — a situation that benefits no one.”

Karzai specifically appealed to Iran and Pakistan—two of the largest host nations for Afghan refugees—to reconsider their recent moves to accelerate deportations. He emphasized the need for a more humane and measured approach, particularly given Afghanistan’s ongoing economic collapse, restrictions on women’s rights, and widespread instability.

“Our request and expectation from host countries is to reconsider their decision regarding the mass and forced deportation of Afghan refugees, especially in light of the ongoing challenges — particularly the economic hardships and the closure of schools and universities to girls,” Karzai said.

Karzai’s comments come amid a growing refugee crisis. According to officials in Kabul, more than 500,000 Afghan migrants have returned from Iran in the past month alone, many of them forcibly deported.

The figure, reported by Deputy Prime Minister Abdul Salam Hanafi earlier this month, highlights the intensifying pressure on Afghanistan’s fragile infrastructure and social services.

The mass returns have overwhelmed border crossings in western provinces like Herat and Nimroz, where aid agencies have warned of insufficient shelter, food, and medical support for returnees—many of whom are women, children, or elderly.
Decades of displacement

Karzai also pointed to the historical context of Afghanistan’s refugee crisis. “The people of Afghanistan were first forced into involuntary and imposed migration nearly four and a half decades ago following the invasion of the former Soviet forces and continued foreign interventions,” he said. “As a result, they were compelled to leave their homeland and seek refuge in other countries—and this issue has only intensified in recent years.”

Host countries, especially Iran and Pakistan, have cited economic constraints, domestic political pressure, and national security concerns as reasons for accelerating deportations.

However, humanitarian groups including the UNHCR have urged these governments to respect the principle of non-refoulement, which prohibits the forced return of individuals to countries where they may face persecution or harm.

Karzai concluded his appeal by urging a cooperative regional approach that takes into account both the humanitarian needs of Afghan refugees and the practical limitations of host countries, but without resorting to mass forced returns.

Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan will not allow the drug trade to threaten Afghan society or regional stability, Acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi declared Tuesday during a meeting with Bo Mathiasen, Director for Operations at the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).

According to a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the two sides held detailed discussions on the IEA’s efforts to prevent the cultivation, production, and trafficking of narcotics, as well as on the treatment and rehabilitation of drug users.

Muttaqi described the IEA’s anti-drug campaign as “historic” and emphasized that all national institutions and security forces remain fully committed to confronting the narcotics trade.

“The Islamic Emirate stands firmly against the drug phenomenon and will not allow society and the region to be harmed by it again,” he said.

He also called on the international community to support Afghanistan in providing alternative livelihoods for farmers through investment in agriculture, livestock, and small-scale industries, as a long-term solution to drug dependency.

Muttaqi further warned that narcotics entering Afghanistan from outside its borders now pose a growing threat and urged coordinated global efforts to combat the cross-border drug trade.

UNODC’s Bo Mathiasen praised the IEA’s steps to curb narcotics production and trafficking, describing his visit to Afghanistan as “important” and expressing appreciation for the IEA’s decisive actions.

Both sides agreed that the fight against drugs should remain non-political and rooted in humanitarian cooperation. They emphasized that future anti-narcotics initiatives must focus on delivering practical, coordinated outcomes.

Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, and Pakistan have reaffirmed their commitment to enhancing regional connectivity through the development of a trilateral transport corridor aimed at boosting cargo flow and trade between Central and South Asia.

Transport authorities from the three countries convened for a virtual meeting to review and finalize a draft Joint Action Plan focused on advancing the Uzbekistan–Afghanistan–Pakistan corridor.
The meeting was convened under Uzbekistan’s Presidential Decree which calls for the continued development of the nation’s transport and logistics systems.

According to a statement reported by Trend, the discussions centered on identifying practical measures to improve cargo movement, remove trade barriers, and streamline cross-border logistics.
The three parties agreed to finalize the plan and begin the required domestic procedures to prepare it for signing.

The initiative is seen as a crucial move toward strengthening trade and economic cooperation across the region. It complements earlier efforts to establish a multi-nation railway project, the Termez–Mazar-i-Sharif–Kabul–Peshawar route, which was first formalized in a trilateral agreement in February 2021.

With an estimated cost of $5 billion, the railway corridor is expected to have a transit capacity of up to 20 million tons of cargo annually. Once completed, it will provide a vital overland trade route linking Europe, Russia, Central Asia, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, and the broader Southeast Asian region.

Officials from all three countries view the corridor as a game-changing infrastructure project that will not only increase regional trade but also improve geopolitical connectivity and economic integration in a historically underlinked region.