Mass Afghan Deportations From Pakistan Continue Unabated

Pakistan’s push to remove undocumented foreigners has led to another large-scale deportation of Afghan nationals, with 4,237 people returned on Sunday through the Spin Boldak crossing. The Taliban Refugee Commission confirmed the figures, noting that Iran simultaneously deported 355 individuals. This latest wave follows several consecutive days of high-volume returns: 4,590 via Torkham on Thursday, 4,398 on Friday, and 4,142 on Saturday. The numbers reflect an ongoing policy targeting Afghans living without proper papers. The International Organization for Migration highlights that more than 114,000 people have returned from Pakistan and Iran in just two weeks this month, part of a larger trend that has seen over 3.5 million returnees since January. Among them are thousands of families, many including women and children. Aid agencies warn that returnees often struggle to rebuild their lives. Limited job opportunities, housing shortages, and restricted access to public services compound the challenges. The UN Refugee Agency and human rights bodies have called on both Pakistan and Iran to protect vulnerable groups from forced removal. As enforcement operations expand across cities like Peshawar, refugee camps have seen mass detentions, raising further concerns about the humanitarian fallout of the policy.