Over 5 million Afghan refugees return home amid regional deportation pressures

Afghanistan’s Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation has announced that more than five million Afghan migrants have returned home since August 2021 when the Islamic Emirate regained power.

The return includes both voluntary and forced repatriations, primarily from neighboring countries such as Iran and Pakistan.

According to the ministry’s spokesman, over 268,000 individuals have returned from Iran and Pakistan in the past two months alone.

The ministry’s figures show that in under four years, over 291,000 families — equating to approximately 2.239 million individuals — have returned, in addition to 2.358 million individuals who returned without their families.

However, international aid organizations have expressed grave concerns about the growing humanitarian needs of the returnees.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has reported that half a million Afghans have been forcibly returned to the country over the last two months.

The UN has urged host countries to ensure that the return process is safe, voluntary, and orderly.

Humanitarian agencies warn that the current surge in returns could push Afghanistan into another humanitarian crisis if immediate assistance is not provided.

The majority of returnees face uncertain futures, lacking access to shelter, livelihoods, and basic services.

The situation is further complicated by the forced deportations being carried out by Pakistan, and Iran’s recent ultimatum for undocumented Afghans to leave the country by mid-July (15th of Saratan on the Afghan solar calendar).

The Iranian Ministry of Interior has stated that the number of undocumented Afghan migrants in Iran now exceeds four million, following the cancellation of temporary permits.
Meanwhile, Pakistan has intensified its crackdown on illegal foreign residents, especially Afghan nationals.

According to Dawn News, the decision was made during the third session of the Counter-Terrorism Committee and the Harden the State Committee, chaired by Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi on Saturday.

The Pakistani government has previously warned that Afghan refugees awaiting relocation to Western countries would be deported if not moved by April 30.

As deportations continue to accelerate across the region, the Afghan government and international agencies face mounting pressure to respond to the growing needs of returnees and to prevent further instability within Afghanistan.