Kabul urges against deportation of Afghan refugees by neighboring nations

By Saadet Gokce

ISTANBUL (AA) - Afghanistan’s interim Taliban administration urged neighboring countries to halt the deportation of Afghan refugees, reported state media on Tuesday.

Mawlavi Abdul Kabir, the Taliban administration's minister of refugees and repatriation, called on the countries to allow Afghans to return voluntarily and emphasized the importance of humane treatment for refugees, according to Afghanistan’s state-run Bakhtar News Agency.

Pakistan and Iran have both recently taken steps to repatriate Afghan refugees.

Islamabad had previously set March 31 as the deadline for Afghan Citizen Card holders to leave voluntarily, but reports indicate that Pakistan has granted an additional 10 days for Afghans to exit the country. The country initiated the “Illegal Foreigners' Repatriation Plan” in October, 2023.

Between September 2023 and February 2025, at least 844,499 Afghan nationals were deported from Pakistan, according to Amnesty International.

Similarly, in September 2024, Iranian authorities announced plans to expel up to two million undocumented Afghan migrants by March 2025.

According to a report from the International Organization for Migration in December 2024, more than 1.1 million refugees returned to Afghanistan, with 66% of them being deportations, under the UN framework.

On a related note, the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, called on the international community on Monday to assist Pakistan with the refugee situation, stressing that humanitarian aid must continue to support long-term development programs.

“Promises were made for the relocation of Afghans who entered the country since 2021. While many Afghans have left to third countries, thousands still remain in limbo in Pakistan,” said UNHCR Representative to Pakistan Philippa Candler in an Eid al-Fitr message, while calling for the "speedy departures" of remaining refugees.