Pakistan, Iran Jointly Deport Over 500,000 Afghan Nationals 

Afghan refugees sit beside their belongings at a registration center, upon their arrival from Pakistan near the Afghanistan-Pakistan border in the Spin Boldak district of Kandahar province, Nov. 20, 2023. Edema Bibi, 66, sits at the entrance of her house as she speaks with a police officer, during a door to door search and verification drive for undocumented Afghan nationals, in an Afghan Camp on the outskirts of Karachi, Pakistan, Nov. 21, 2023.

The United Nations and partner agencies renewed a call Tuesday for countries to immediately suspend mass deportations of Afghan nationals, citing the onset of a harsh winter and the “worsening” humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan. The call comes amid reports that Iran and Pakistan have collectively forced out more than 500,000 Afghans over the past two months, with the number of deportees growing by the day. The International Organization for Migration, or IOM, said Tuesday that nearly 375,000 Afghans returned home from Pakistan through the Torkham and Spin Boldak border crossings between the two countries. De facto Afghan Taliban authorities have reported more than 400,000 returnees from the neighboring country. The IOM statement noted that the number of border crossings dramatically increased from 200 daily to 17,000 after the Pakistani government ordered all undocumented foreigners, including an estimated 1.7 million Afghans, to leave the country by November 1 or face forcible expulsions. “Their situation is desperate; most people told us they were forced to leave the country and leave belongings and savings behind,” said Maria Moita, chief of the IOM Afghanistan mission. “People arriving in Afghanistan are extremely vulnerable and need immediate support at the border as well as for the long term in the areas of return,” Moita stated. “This is a significant humanitarian crisis, and funds are urgently needed to continue providing immediate assistance after arrival to ensure a safe and dignified return.” Official Pakistani data shows that Afghans who have returned or are in the process of returning are doing so “voluntarily,” and only 16% of them were deported. The Taliban government in Afghanistan has decried the evictions and sought their reversal. Islamabad has rejected the criticism, saying the crackdown is targeting foreigners who are residing illegally or overstaying their visas.