The Taliban commission for refugees stated on Monday that Pakistan deported as many as 4,237 Afghan immigrants on Sunday, local media reported. Previously, 4,590 Afghans were deported through the Torkham crossing on Thursday, followed by 4,398 on Friday and 4,142 on Saturday. According to the Taliban commission for refugees, the migrants who were deported on Sunday entered Afghanistan through the Spin Boldak border crossing in the southern province of Kandahar.
355 individuals were also deported from Iran on the same day, the commission said, Afghan Media outlet Amu TV reported. It noted that most of the returns are involuntary. Between April 26 and May 9, around 114,321 people returned to Afghanistan from Iran and Pakistan, the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) said earlier this month.
The organisation noted that the returnees include both deportees and voluntary returnees, comprising 14,778 families, many of them women and children. Between January 1 and May 9, more than 3.5 million people had returned to Afghanistan, comprising almost 487,000 families, according to the IOM.
“The surge in returns comes as Pakistan continues a crackdown on undocumented foreigners, a policy that has disproportionately affected Afghans. Human rights groups and UN agencies have raised concerns about forced returns, warning that many deportees face economic hardship and limited access to housing, employment and public services upon arrival,” noted the report.
Pakistan’s latest wave of arrests targetting Afghan refugees demonstrates a structural shift in the country’s migration governance. The current raids conducted by the authorities, arrests and forced removals of Afghans showcase one of the most aggressive enforcement phases in recent years, a report has stated.
Reports indicate that around 1500 Afghan refugees were detained in several refugee camps earlier this month, with operations especially taking place in Peshawar and nearby districts. Local accounts revealed that around 100 Afghans were arrested from a mosque in the Khazana camp, the Afghan Diaspora Network reported.
“The UN refugee agency and the UN human rights office have also urged governments not to forcibly return Afghan migrants who may face persecution or other serious risks, particularly women, former government employees, journalists and human rights activists,” noted the Amu TV report.
