Pakistan has deported more than 19,500 Afghans so far this month, part of a broader campaign that has seen over 80,000 Afghans leave the country ahead of a looming April 30 deadline, according to the United Nations. The Pakistani government has intensified efforts to expel undocumented Afghans and those with expired residency permits, citing national security and economic pressures.
The UN estimates that Pakistan hosts over 3.5 million Afghans, including 700,000 who arrived after the Taliban’s return to power in 2021. Around half of these refugees are believed to be undocumented. Islamabad says the high refugee population is straining public services and contributing to security concerns.
According to Taliban officials, 700 to 800 Afghan families are being deported daily, with estimates suggesting that up to two million people could be forced to return in the coming months. Many of those being sent back have never lived in Afghanistan, having been born and raised in Pakistan after their families fled war and instability.
Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar visited Kabul on Saturday for talks with his Taliban counterpart, Amir Khan Muttaqi. During the meeting, Muttaqi expressed “deep concern” over the deportations. Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry later stated that the two sides discussed “all issues of mutual interest.”
At the Torkham border crossing, deported Afghans described their difficult transitions. Sayed Rahman, born and raised in Pakistan, said, “I lived my whole life in Pakistan. I got married there. What am I supposed to do now?” Others voiced concern over the future of their children, particularly girls who had access to education in Pakistan but now face severe restrictions in Taliban-ruled Afghanistan.
“I want my children to study. I don’t want their years in school to go to waste,” said Saleh, a father of three daughters. “Everyone has the right to an education.”
Conditions at the border have been challenging. Armed guards from both nations monitor the crossing, where men and women are separated. Elderly returnees, some carried on stretchers, are being relocated to temporary shelters. Families cluster under tarps in intense heat, with limited resources and frequent disputes over access to water and shade.
Afghan authorities are providing returning families with cash aid ranging from 4,000 to 10,000 Afghanis (approx. £41–£104), but the country’s fragile infrastructure is under severe strain. “These people left decades ago and left all their belongings behind. Some of their homes were destroyed during 20 years of war,” said Bakht Jamal Gohar, the Taliban’s head of refugee affairs at the border.
Human rights groups have raised concerns over reports that Pakistani border guards restricted what refugees could bring. Pakistani officials denied these allegations, saying there is no policy preventing refugees from carrying household items.
One man, sitting roadside in the heat, summarized the feelings of many: “Now we’ll never go back [to Pakistan]. Not after how we were treated.”
