Photo credit: Foriegn Policy
Pakistan deported more than 14,500 migrants to Afghanistan over the past week, according to statements from the Taliban commission for refugees, as the pace of forced returns from neighbouring countries continues to rise.
Amu reports that between January 31 and February 6, a total of 14, 576 people were sent back from Pakistan, while a further 832 were deported from Iran, the commission said. Most of the returns were involuntary.
Those deported entered Afghanistan through several border crossings, including Torkham, Spin Boldak, Bahramcha, Pul-e-Abresham and Islam Qala, the statements showed.
The latest figures follow a similar surge a week earlier, when Pakistan deported 12,058 people and Iran returned 614 others. Many of those expelled from Pakistan were first detained, transferred to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Haji Camp and then deported, according to people familiar with the process.
Afghanistan has seen a sharp increase in deportations from neighbouring countries over the past two years, particularly from Pakistan, which has stepped up enforcement against undocumented migrants.
The United Nations has previously said about 2.6 million people returned to Afghanistan in 2025 alone, warning that large-scale returns are placing severe strain on the country’s limited resources and humanitarian response capacity amid economic hardship and cuts in foreign aid.
