Pakistan Expels 852 Afghan Families, Part of Broader Deportation Plan

Babatunji Wusu –

• Pakistan expelled 852 Afghan families, totaling 4,567 individuals, on Sunday, according to Afghanistan’s High Commission.

• The families returned through the Torkham and Spin Boldak border crossings.

• The Pakistani government plans to deport three million Afghans this year as part of an ongoing repatriation effort.

• There are approximately seven million Afghan refugees abroad, with many in Pakistan and Iran.

• The Afghan government continues to encourage refugees to return and help rebuild the country.

In a recent statement, Afghanistan’s High Commission for Addressing Returnees Problems reported that 852 Afghan families, comprising 4,567 individuals, were expelled by Pakistan on Sunday. These families returned to Afghanistan through the Torkham border in Nangarhar and the Spin Boldak border in Kandahar.

To assist the returnees, the Afghan commission is providing essential services at the Torkham crossing, including temporary shelter, food, water, medical care, and transportation to their home provinces.

This deportation is part of a broader effort by the Pakistani government, which plans to expel up to three million Afghans this year. Currently, approximately seven million Afghan refugees, many of whom are undocumented, are living abroad, with a significant number residing in Pakistan and Iran.

The Afghan interim government has repeatedly urged refugees to return home and contribute to the reconstruction of the country, which remains in the process of recovery from years of conflict.