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UNICEF reports over 2 million migrants returned to Afghanistan so far this year

UNICEF also appealed to donor countries to increase funding for humanitarian programs supporting returnees, with a focus on women and children.

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More than two million migrants, including approximately 500,000 children, have returned to Afghanistan from Iran, Pakistan, and several Central Asian countries so far this year, UNICEF announced following a visit by Ted Chaiban, Deputy Executive Director for Humanitarian Action and Supply Operations.

Chaiban, who recently completed his fourth visit to Afghanistan, highlighted the scale of returns, noting that on July 4 alone, over 50,000 individuals crossed into Afghanistan from Iran — the highest single-day figure recorded in 2025.

He warned that this mass influx has placed severe pressure on already fragile communities, where more than half of the population depends on humanitarian assistance.

During his visit, Chaiban toured key border reception centers including Islam Qala and Herat, meeting with returning families and witnessing firsthand the challenges they face.

While humanitarian and support services at these centers are being delivered in a coordinated effort by local authorities, UN agencies, NGOs, and partners, persistent shortages in education, healthcare, and economic opportunities are complicating reintegration.

Since the start of 2025, UNICEF has also identified and reunified over 6,000 unaccompanied or separated children with their families or relatives. The agency emphasized the urgent need to provide special protection to vulnerable groups, particularly women and children.

A critical concern raised by Chaiban was the ongoing ban on girls’ education beyond sixth grade. He cautioned that this restriction endangers not only the future of Afghan girls but also threatens the country’s broader development prospects. UNICEF called for the immediate lifting of these educational limitations.

In response to the return movements, UNICEF urged Iran, Pakistan, and Afghanistan to adopt a safe, dignified, voluntary, and phased approach to managing returns. The agency stressed the importance of regional dialogue to minimize the impact on host communities.

UNICEF also appealed to donor countries to increase funding for humanitarian programs supporting returnees, with a focus on women and children.

In addition to UNICEF’s warnings, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) reported that over the past two years, more than four million migrants have returned to Afghanistan from Iran and Pakistan. IOM described the ongoing return as one of the largest mass movements in the country’s recent history and called for urgent funding and enhanced regional cooperation to address the growing humanitarian crisis.

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India sends over 63,000 vaccine doses to boost Afghanistan’s public health system

New Delhi has reiterated that it remains committed to supporting the Afghan people through sustained humanitarian and medical assistance.

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India has reinforced its support for Afghanistan’s public health sector with the delivery of a new batch of essential vaccines to Kabul.

Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said New Delhi has supplied 63,734 doses of influenza and meningitis vaccines to Afghan health authorities as part of its ongoing humanitarian assistance program.

Afghan health officials noted that the vaccines will be integrated into national preventive healthcare efforts and will help curb seasonal illnesses while reducing the risk of meningitis outbreaks, especially during periods of heightened vulnerability.

They said the shipment arrives at a time when Afghanistan’s medical resources remain under significant strain.

India has served as a key health partner to Afghanistan in recent years, providing medical supplies, essential medicines, and several rounds of vaccines to help strengthen the country’s healthcare infrastructure.

New Delhi has reiterated that it remains committed to supporting the Afghan people through sustained humanitarian and medical assistance.

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Deputy interior minister for counter-narcotics travels to Uzbekistan

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Abdul Rahman Munir, the Deputy Minister for Counter-Narcotics at the Ministry of Interior, traveled to Uzbekistan this afternoon along with his accompanying delegation.

According to a statement from the Ministry of Interior, the purpose of the trip is to participate in a meeting of member countries of the Central Asian Regional Information and Coordination Centre for Combating Drugs (CARICC).

The statement added that the meeting will be held on December 5 of this year in the city of Samarkand, Uzbekistan.

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Imran Khan accuses Army Chief of ‘igniting’ Pakistan–Afghanistan tensions

In his post, written in Urdu, Khan said: “Asim Munir’s policies are disastrous for Pakistan. Because of his policies, terrorism has spiralled out of control, which grieves me deeply.”

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Former Pakistani prime minister Imran Khan has accused Army Chief Asim Munir of deliberately “igniting tensions” with Afghanistan, calling his policies “disastrous” for Pakistan.

The 73-year-old former cricketer, who has been imprisoned since 2023, issued the remarks through his official account on the social media platform X. His statement was shared a day after his sister, Uzma Khan, met him at Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail following “special permission” granted by the government led by Shehbaz Sharif.

In his post, written in Urdu, Khan said: “Asim Munir’s policies are disastrous for Pakistan. Because of his policies, terrorism has spiralled out of control, which grieves me deeply.”

He further alleged that the army chief’s actions were motivated by a desire to please Western governments, saying Munir had “deliberately ignited tensions with Afghanistan so he could be seen internationally as a so-called ‘mujahid’.”

The founder of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf added that he had long opposed “drone attacks and military operations against our own people,” arguing such tactics would only worsen militancy. Khan claimed Munir first “threatened Afghans,” then oversaw the expulsion of refugees and the launching of drone strikes, the consequences of which he said were now visible in rising violence.

Khan also launched a personal attack on the army chief, calling him “mentally unstable” and accusing him of presiding over the “collapse of the Constitution and rule of law in Pakistan.”

He alleged that, on Munir’s orders, he and his wife had been imprisoned on fabricated charges and subjected to “the worst form of psychological torture.”

Khan said he had been held in solitary confinement for four weeks, with no human contact and without basic entitlements provided under the jail manual. He added that despite court directions, access to political colleagues, lawyers and family members had been blocked.

Referring to an incident involving another sister, Noreen Niazi, he said she was “dragged on the road” while trying to meet him.

Khan praised Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi for choosing “resistance over compromise” and urged him to “continue to play on the front foot.” He added that those threatening to impose governor’s rule in the province should “do it today rather than tomorrow and then watch what happens.”

An undeclared ban on meetings with Khan had fuelled speculation about his health. After visiting him, Uzma Khan said he was “perfectly fine” physically but was being subjected to “mental torture” in solitary confinement.

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