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700,000 Afghan refugees deported from Iran in past 9 months
Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan’s (IEA) acting deputy minister of refugees and repatriation Muhammad Arsala Kharoti said on Saturday that about 700,000 Afghan refugees have been deported from Iran in the past nine months.
Addressing a press conference during a visit to Herat province, Kharoti said many of these refugees have been forcibly deported.
He said the issue of mistreatment of Afghans by Iranian officials has been raised with Tehran on a number of occasions.
“We also contacted the Iranian government and summoned the ambassador for Iran; the Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed our dissatisfaction, so those who are accused of abusing Afghans should be found and those who are guilty should be punished,” Kharoti said.
During the press conference, a US-based charity handed over a large shipment of clothing to the ministry, which will distribute to vulnerable families across the country.
Farhad Safi, Coordinating Director of the Zarmani Foundation, said: “We reached an agreement with the Ministry of Refugees to hand over these clothes and based on the surveys they have carried out, they will transfer this aid to all provinces, especially the provinces with the most vulnerable and needy.”
Officials at the charity say the shipment is worth about $5 million.
“We assure you that we will deliver the aid to the deserving and the vulnerable with full transparency,” Kharoti said.
This comes amid an increase in the numbers of deportees from Iran said officials. According to them, as many as 3,000 people return through the Islam Qala border crossing into Herat daily.
Zalmay Khalilzad, the former US special representative for Afghanistan, has questioned Pakistan’s commitment to the welfare of the Afghan people, citing Islamabad’s policies over the past three decades.
Khalilzad said in a post on X that Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif advocated for the rights of Afghan women during his speech at the UN General Assembly on Friday.
Sharif said: “Fundamental rights of the Afghan people — especially women and girls — must be respected.”
Responding to the remarks, Khalilzad said Pakistan’s policies over the past 30 years raise questions about Sharif’s commitment to Afghan welfare.
He cited Pakistan’s support for militant groups against US forces and what he described as the poor treatment of Afghan refugees as examples.
Khalilzad also said Afghanistan and Pakistan need and should have much better relations, adding that “a reset is necessary.”
India’s Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri met with the UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Afghanistan, Rabab Fatima, on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly.
Indian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in a post on X that Misri underscored the need to keep addressing the humanitarian needs of the Afghan people as a priority.
Misri also appreciated the role of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) and reaffirmed India’s continued cooperation with the United Nations on Afghanistan.
The meeting comes as Afghanistan continues to face humanitarian and economic challenges, with international agencies warning of significant needs among the Afghan population.
Kazakhstan’s Foreign Minister Mukhtar Tileuberdi has called for pragmatic and coordinated international engagement with Afghanistan, saying the country’s long-term stability is closely linked to the security and sustainable development of Central Asia.
Speaking during the general debate of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Friday, Tileuberdi said humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan remains essential but alone cannot break the cycle of poverty, displacement and dependency.
He said Kazakhstan supports a “pragmatic, coordinated and step-by-step” approach to international engagement with Afghanistan, with the United Nations playing a central role.
Tileuberdi also said Kazakhstan is working with the UN to operationalize the United Nations Regional Centre for the Sustainable Development Goals for Central Asia and Afghanistan in Almaty.
He said the success of the centre should be measured by the results and assistance it delivers to the region.
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