According to Islamabad’s Ministry of Interior, over 200,000 Afghans have departed from Pakistan following the government’s reintroduction of a deportation initiative in April, as reported by AFP.
In April, over 135,000 Afghans departed from Pakistan, but this figure decreased to 67,000 in May. Additionally, more than 3,000 individuals were returned in the initial two days of June, as reported by the ministry.
Over the past several decades, millions of Afghans have sought refuge in Pakistan, escaping a series of ongoing conflicts. Since the Taliban government returned to power in 2021, hundreds of thousands have arrived.
According to the ministry, more than one million Afghans have departed from Pakistan since Islamabad’s repatriation program was initiated in 2023.
On Tuesday, the UN’s International Organisation for Migration expressed alarm regarding a significant rise in the number of Afghan families being deported from Iran. The organization reported that 15,675 individuals crossed in May, marking a more than two-fold increase compared to the previous month.
The surge across both borders poses a significant risk to Afghanistan’s already precarious reception and reintegration systems, according to a statement from the IOM.
