John Aylieff, World Food Programme (WFP) Country Director in Afghanistan, says the hunger crisis has gripped the country in a catastrophic manner, and that the organization does not have the capacity to assist all those in need due to budget shortfalls.

This United Nations official, in an interview with the Associated Press, referring to the reduction in humanitarian aid to the people of Afghanistan, said that malnutrition in the country—especially among women and children—has reached its highest level. He stressed that the current figures represent the highest recorded level of malnutrition in Afghanistan, now putting the lives of four million children at risk.

He added: “The cuts in aid have been devastating. Of the four million hungry and malnourished children, we are now forced to turn away three out of every four because we do not have enough funding. We are still facing a catastrophic food crisis, as two-thirds of the country’s population are experiencing very severe acute malnutrition or are at crisis levels.”

Meanwhile, some experts in the country consider the causes of Afghanistan’s widespread hunger crisis to be multiple, adding that the reduction in aid is one of the main factors behind the worsening crisis.

It is worth noting that, in addition to the decline in international assistance to the people of Afghanistan, climate change—including consecutive droughts—lack of employment opportunities, and the large-scale return of migrants are considered major factors contributing to the humanitarian crisis in the country.

Indian authorities at Mumbai’s Nhava Sheva Port have detained 46 containers after finding that walnuts imported from China were falsely declared as Afghan produce, The Hindu Business Line reported.

The ship, which reportedly departed Bandar Abbas Port, has been held for more than two weeks. A circular from the Customs Intelligence Unit says one person has been arrested, with tax-evasion losses estimated at 50 crore rupees (approx. $5.4 million). No importer has yet claimed the shipments.

Indian trade sources say misdeclaring walnuts from United States and Chile as Afghan goods is a long-running practice to exploit SAFTA’s zero-duty benefit, as India imposes 100% duty on walnut imports to protect growers in Jammu and Kashmir.

Officials say traders forged transit documents in India’s E-Sanchit/ICES system to fabricate an Afghan route, while the packaging still carried Chinese markings.

Pakistan’s Punjab province was set to repatriate 20 Afghan citizens to their homeland on Thursday as it continued its drive against undocumented Afghan nationals, a Punjab Home Department spokesperson said.

The nationwide repatriation campaign, launched in late 2023, has strained relations between neighbours Pakistan and Afghanistan.

The policy has drawn criticism from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, which has said it has received reports of arrests and expulsions of legally registered Afghans and warned that sending them back in this way breaches Pakistan’s international obligations.

According to a Punjab Home Department statement, official statistics show that more than 2 million Afghan citizens have been sent back from across Pakistan. “In Punjab alone, over 150,000 undocumented Afghans have been repatriated,” the statement said, Reuters reported.

It added that all Afghan citizens without a valid visa are required to leave, while those with valid visas may continue to work or run businesses.

Punjab is currently operating 37 holding centres accommodating 69 Afghan nationals, 20 of whom were scheduled for repatriation on Thursday, the spokesperson said.

Tensions between the two countries remain high. Pakistan accuses Afghanistan of failing to act against what it says are terror networks operating from Afghan soil. Afghanistan denies the allegations.

On Wednesday, Pakistan summoned the Afghan deputy head of mission to raise concerns about a February 16 attack on security forces in Bajaur in northwest Pakistan that killed 11 Pakistani soldiers and a child.

Last year, the two sides were engaged in their heaviest clashes since the IEA returned to power in 2021, though a fragile ceasefire has held since the deadly October fighting.

Afghanistan last week freed three Pakistani soldiers, detained in the October 12 clashes, handing them over to a Saudi delegation in Kabul.