Pakistan steps up deportation of Afghan nationals

By Berk Kutay Gokmen

ISTANBUL (AA) - Pakistan has intensified its deportation of Afghan migrants, Afghan officials have said, according to TOLO News.

Authorities from Afghanistan’s caretaker government in the border town of Torkham said Sunday that they are assisting returnees and organizing transport to their provinces.

“In the past 11 days, around 7,000 families have arrived, totaling approximately 40,000 individuals.

"Among them are documented and undocumented families, deported individuals, and forced returnees,” said Bakht Jamal Gowhar, a migration transfer officer in Torkham.

Recently deported Afghans said they were mistreated by Pakistani police, who allegedly demanded bribes and acted aggressively during the deportation process.

Abdul Salam Hanafi, deputy administrative chief of the prime minister’s office, has started allocating land to returnees from Pakistan.

Pakistan launched the Illegal Foreigners' Repatriation Plan in October 2023.

Amnesty International reported that between September 2023 and February 2025, Pakistan deported at least 844,499 Afghan nationals.

According to a December 2024 report by the International Organization for Migration, over 1.1 million refugees returned to Afghanistan during that period, with 66% classified as deportations under the UN framework.

Amnesty International South Asia previously urged Pakistan to cancel its deportation plan, calling it a violation of international human rights law.