Connect with us

Latest News

UNHCR calls on Pakistan to halt forced returns of Afghan PoR cardholders

Currently, around 1.4 million Afghan PoR cardholders remain in Pakistan, OCHA reported.

Published

on

The United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) on Tuesday called on Pakistan to cease forced repatriations of Afghan refugees holding Proof of Registration (PoR) cards, with its spokesperson Babar Baloch warning that the move contradicts international legal obligations and could destabilize the region.

Speaking in Geneva, Baloch expressed deep concern over reports of arrests, detentions, and coercive returns of PoR cardholders under Pakistan’s “Illegal Foreigners Repatriation Plan,” announced on July 31. Since then, UNHCR has documented arrests targeting both registered refugees and undocumented migrants across Pakistan.

“We acknowledge and appreciate Pakistan’s generosity in hosting refugees for over 40 years amid its own challenges,” Baloch said, stressing that PoR cardholders have been officially recognized as refugees for decades.

“Their forced return is contrary to Pakistan’s long-standing humanitarian approach to this group and would constitute a violation of the principle of non‑refoulement.”

The issue comes amid one of history’s largest refugee returns. According to UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), as of 26 July, an estimated 1,668 million Afghans have returned to Afghanistan in 2025, including 1,2 million from Iran and 389,000 from Pakistan.

Between 1 and 26 July alone, approximately 539,000 individuals returned from Iran, accounting for almost one-third of the overall number of people that have returned from Iran so far this year.

During OCHA’s reporting period (20-26 July), daily arrivals from Iran averaged around 11,000.

In contrast, returnees from Pakistan during the same period averaged 1,100 per day.

However, returns from Pakistan are expected to rise in the coming months following the signing of a Statutory Regulatory Order on the Repatriation of Afghans by the Government of Pakistan’s Ministry of Interior on 31 July which confirmed that the validity of Proof of Registration (PoR) cards expired on 30 June 2025 and rendered the continued stay of PoR cardholders as unlawful.

Currently, around 1.4 million Afghan PoR cardholders remain in Pakistan, OCHA reported.

The cumulative effect of mass return is compounding a dire humanitarian crisis.

According to OCHA, food security, healthcare, housing, and livelihoods systems in Afghanistan are all overstretched—raising the specter of renewed displacement, regional instability, and heightened protection needs.

Local refugee leaders and international human rights groups have echoed UNHCR’s warnings, describing the recent enforcement campaigns as opaque, coercive, and lacking legal safeguards. Many deportees have returned to destroyed homes, broken communities, and little to no economic opportunity.

Despite mounting pressure, Pakistan maintains that actions taken are in line with domestic law and part of a broader anti-illegal immigration initiative that includes Afghan Citizen Card (ACC) holders and undocumented migrants.

Latest News

Afghanistan publishes 20 new laws and dozens of legal documents over five years

The documents include 20 laws, 77 decrees, 30 orders, eight guidelines, six procedures, three codes, two charters, one regulation, one directive and one legal framework.

Published

on

The Progress website, affiliated with the Government Media Centre, has reported that Afghanistan’s Ministry of Justice has published 20 laws and dozens of other legislative documents in 31 issues of the Official Gazette since the Islamic Emirate returned to power.

According to the published figures, the documents include 20 laws, 77 decrees, 30 orders, eight guidelines, six procedures, three codes, two charters, one regulation, one directive and one legal framework.

Among the laws published over the past five years are legislation on preventing land grabbing, hearing complaints, the promotion of virtue and prevention of vice, money changers and monetary services, as well as preventing the smuggling of food products and medicines.

The report highlights the Ministry of Justice’s legislative activities and the publication of legal documents through Afghanistan’s Official Gazette during the past five years.

Continue Reading

Latest News

UN pledges to expand cooperation with Afghanistan as over 8 million migrants return home

Rabab said the United Nations intends to expand its cooperation with Afghanistan in several areas, alongside coordinating humanitarian assistance.

Published

on

Abdul Salam Hanafi, Administrative Deputy Prime Minister of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, has met with Rabab Fatima, the newly appointed Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Afghanistan, and her accompanying delegation to discuss humanitarian assistance, economic development and the challenges facing returning Afghan migrants.

During the meeting, Rabbah expressed her satisfaction at having the opportunity to serve the people of Afghanistan. She also spoke positively about development projects carried out in the country by the Islamic Emirate and expressed hope that efforts to promote economic growth and reconstruction would continue.

Rabab said the United Nations intends to expand its cooperation with Afghanistan in several areas, alongside coordinating humanitarian assistance. These include providing alternative livelihood opportunities for farmers, creating employment opportunities and expanding assistance to returning migrants.

She also praised the Islamic Emirate’s efforts to address the challenges facing returning Afghan migrants, describing the management of their return as one of Afghanistan’s major challenges.

For his part, Hanafi said more than eight million Afghan migrants have returned to the country, adding that the Islamic Emirate would use all available resources to support them and address their needs.

He further called on relevant institutions to strengthen efforts to protect the rights of returnees, create employment opportunities and provide adequate shelter.

The meeting comes amid ongoing humanitarian and economic challenges in Afghanistan, with support for returning migrants and expanded international cooperation remaining key priorities.

Continue Reading

Latest News

Unexploded ordnance contaminates 901 square kms of land in Afghanistan

Published

on

Around 901 square kilometres of land across Afghanistan is contaminated with unexploded ordnance, posing a continuing threat to civilians, particularly children, Afghanistan National Disaster Management Authority said.

Mohammad Yousuf Hammad, spokesperson for the Afghanistan National Disaster Management Authority, made the remarks in an interview with Afghanistan’s state-controlled national broadcaster.

Hammad said explosions involving landmines and unexploded remnants of war continue to kill and injure large numbers of Afghans every year.

He added that, with financial support from the United Nations Special Trust Fund for Afghanistan, more than 73,000 square metres of contaminated land had been cleared in Kunduz and Baghlan provinces by December 2025.

According to available figures, approximately 1,026 people were killed or injured in Afghanistan in landmine and unexploded ordnance explosions in 2021.

Decades of conflict have left large quantities of explosive remnants of war scattered across the country, creating persistent dangers for civilians.

Children remain particularly vulnerable, as unexploded devices can be mistaken for ordinary objects or encountered while playing and travelling through affected areas.

The reported contamination highlights the continuing need for mine-clearance operations, humanitarian assistance and public awareness programmes to protect communities and prevent further civilian casualties.

Continue Reading
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

Trending

Copyright © 2026 Ariana News. All rights reserved!