60,000 Afghans
KABUL: Since the beginning of April 2025, nearly 60,000 Afghans have returned from Pakistan, according to the International Organisation for Migration (IOM).
This surge follows the Pakistani government’s renewed deportation drive targeting Afghan migrants, particularly those holding Afghan Citizen Cards (ACCs).
The IOM reported that from April 1 to 13, it documented a sharp increase in forced returns through the Torkham and Spin Boldak border crossings.
Families, many of whom had lived in Pakistan for decades, could be seen crowding the borders with their belongings, reminiscent of similar scenes in 2023 when thousands of Afghans fled amid fears of deportation.
This wave of repatriation is part of the second phase of Islamabad’s migration crackdown. In March, the federal government issued an ultimatum, instructing roughly 800,000 Afghan nationals with ACCs to leave the country by early April. The directive comes amid worsening relations between Pakistan and the Taliban-led government in Kabul.
Mihyung Park, IOM’s chief of mission in Afghanistan, raised concerns about the humanitarian toll of the deportations. “With a new wave of large-scale returns now underway from Pakistan, needs on the ground are rising rapidly — both at the border and in areas of return that are struggling to absorb large numbers of returnees,” she said.
The UN estimates that nearly three million Afghans reside in Pakistan, many having sought refuge during various phases of conflict in their homeland.
In addition to ACC holders, over 1.3 million Afghans with Proof of Registration (PoR) cards issued by the UNHCR have also come under pressure, with directives for them to relocate from Islamabad and Rawalpindi.
The Taliban administration has urged neighboring countries to ensure the “dignified” repatriation of Afghans. “The mistreatment of them by neighbouring countries is unacceptable and intolerable,” stated the Taliban’s Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation.
Tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan have escalated since the Taliban returned to power in 2021. Islamabad accuses Kabul of harboring militant elements responsible for cross-border attacks — an allegation the Taliban denies.
Pakistan’s State Minister for Interior, Talal Chaudhry, recently claimed that Afghan migrants were linked to terrorism and drug trafficking, justifying the deportations.
He noted that exceptions might be made for those awaiting resettlement in third countries, but emphasized that no extensions would be granted after April 30.
The IOM has called on all countries to stop forced returns to Afghanistan until conditions improve to guarantee safe, dignified, and voluntary repatriations. The agency revealed that between September 2023 and April 2025, more than 2.43 million undocumented Afghan migrants returned from Pakistan and Iran — over half of them through forced deportations.
