In one of the largest mass deportations in recent months, more than 5,000 Afghan migrants were deported from Pakistan in a single day, according to a statement issued by the Taliban’s High Commission for Addressing Migrants’ Issues.
On Wednesday alone, 5,136 Afghan nationals were sent back to Afghanistan through two major border crossings. Of these, 3,500 individuals entered via the Torkham border in eastern Nangarhar province, while 1,636 others crossed back through Spin Boldak in southern Kandahar province.
The Taliban commission reported that 625 families were registered upon arrival at Torkham and 303 families at Spin Boldak. In addition, a separate group of 535 Afghan migrants (144 families) were deported from Iran and re-entered Afghanistan via the Islam Qala border crossing.
To assist the returnees, the Taliban-led authority announced the distribution of 6.48 million Afghanis (AFN) in financial aid among the returning families. The commission emphasized that the effort is part of a broader initiative to manage the escalating influx of deportees.
This mass return follows a prior announcement on April 15, when 4,339 Afghans were deported from Pakistan in a 24-hour period — 3,235 through Torkham and 1,104 through Spin Boldak.
Meanwhile, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) has sounded the alarm over the scale and pace of the ongoing deportations. According to the IOM, more than 60,000 Afghan migrants have been deported from Pakistan in just the past two weeks, raising urgent humanitarian concerns.
They are tired, scared and extremely vulnerable,” said Mutya Izora Maskun, IOM’s Deputy Chief of Mission for Operations. “Many of the returnees arrive with nothing but the clothes on their backs, and face a future filled with uncertainty.”
