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First Post
4 days ago
- Politics
- First Post
'Afghan out' drive in Pakistan, Iran pushes over 600,000 back to Taliban regime
More than 135,000 Afghans left the country in April, followed by 67,000 in May, and more than 3,000 in just the first two days of June. Since the repatriation drive began in November 2023, more than one million Afghans have returned from Pakistan read more Afghan refugee children huddle around a fire for warmth in a camp on the Afghan side of the Torkham border. Image: Ebrahim Noroozi/ AP Photo Pakistan has ramped up efforts to force out Afghan nationals from the country, as data from the country's interior ministry shows that over 200,000 people have been deported since April. On top of this, Iran has also begun expelling Afghans from the country, raising concerns over the Taliban's ability to manage the influx of people amid an already battered economy. More than 135,000 Afghans left the country in April, followed by 67,000 in May, and more than 3,000 in just the first two days of June. Since the repatriation drive began in November 2023, more than one million Afghans have returned from Pakistan. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Some 600,000 Afghans have travelled to Pakistan since the Taliban took over and implemented their austere version of Islam. However, Islamabad wants over 800,000 Afghanistan citizens to return home after revoking their residency permits. This whopping group includes Afghans born and raised in Pakistan. One of the reasons why the country has waged an 'Afghan out' campaign is its alleged links to terrorism. The number of returnees has slowed ahead of the Eid al-Adha holiday later this week, but some Afghans were still crossing the main border points from Pakistan on Wednesday. 'We left behind our orchards' and livelihoods, 21-year-old farmer Mohammad Wali told AFP near the southern Spin Boldak crossing. 'But we said to ourselves, 'If we stay, maybe one day we'll lose our dignity,' so it's better to return to our homeland now.' The UN's International Organisation for Migration (IOM) on Tuesday voiced concern over a surge in Afghan families being deported from Iran, recording 15,675 crossing in May, a more than two-fold increase from the previous month. Iran orders Afghans to leave Meanwhile, Tehran has started its own campaign of driving out Afghans from the country. People from Afghanistan have till July 6 to leave Iran, the country's interior ministry said. Nader Yarahmadi, from the Iranian interior ministry, said on state television that it would affect around four million of the more than six million Afghans who Iran says are in the country. The IOM said the influx across both borders threatens to strain Afghanistan's already 'fragile reception and reintegration systems'. It again called for 'all countries to immediately suspend the forced return of Afghans, regardless of their immigration status, until safe, voluntary, and dignified return conditions are in place'. How many Afghans live in Pak? According to UNHCR, the UN refugee agency, there are 2.18 million documented Afghan refugees in Pakistan. This includes the 1.3 million refugees holding Proof of Registration (PoR) cards as per the census carried out in 2006-07, as well as an additional 8,80,000 refugees granted ACCs following a registration drive in 2017. With inputs from agencies
eNCA
4 days ago
- Business
- eNCA
200,000 Afghans left Pakistan since deportations renewed
More than 200,000 Afghans have left Pakistan since the government renewed a deportation drive in April, with Iran also stepping up expulsions of Afghans. Generations of Afghans have fled to neighbouring Pakistan and Iran during decades of successive wars, seeking safety and better economic opportunities. Both governments have grown weary of large migrant populations and ordered millions to leave under the threat of arrest. Pakistan has launched a strict campaign to evict more than 800,000 Afghans who have had their residence permits cancelled, including some who were born in the country or lived there for decades. According to the interior ministry, more than 135,000 Afghans left Pakistan in April, while around 67,000 departed in May and more than 3,000 were sent back in the first two days of June. The number of returnees has slowed ahead of the Eid al-Adha holiday later this week, but some Afghans were still crossing the main border points from Pakistan on Wednesday. "We left behind our orchards" and livelihoods, 21-year-old farmer Mohammad Wali told AFP near the southern Spin Boldak crossing. "But we said to ourselves, 'If we stay, maybe one day we'll lose our dignity,' so it's better to return to our homeland now." The UN's International Organization for Migration (IOM) on Tuesday voiced concern over a surge in Afghan families being deported from Iran, recording 15,675 crossing in May, a more than two-fold increase from the previous month. AFP | Sanaullah SEIAM Iranian officials have ordered Afghans without documentation to leave by July 6. Nader Yarahmadi, from the Iranian interior ministry, said on state television that it would affect around four million of the more than six million Afghans who Iran says are in the country. The IOM said the influx across both borders threatens to strain Afghanistan's already "fragile reception and reintegration systems". It again called for "all countries to immediately suspend the forced return of Afghans, regardless of their immigration status, until safe, voluntary, and dignified return conditions are in place". - Rise in border violence - AFP | Sanaullah SEIAM Millions of Afghans have poured into Pakistan over the past several decades, fleeing successive wars, as well as hundreds of thousands who arrived after the return of the Taliban government in 2021. A campaign to evict them began in 2023, prompting hundreds of thousands to cross the border in a matter of weeks, fearing harassment or arrest. In total, more than one million Afghans have left Pakistan. Islamabad has labelled Afghans "terrorists and criminals", but analysts say the expulsions are designed to pressure neighbouring Afghanistan's Taliban authorities to control militancy in the border regions. Last year, Pakistan recorded the highest number of deaths from attacks in a decade. Pakistan's security forces are under enormous pressure along the border with Afghanistan, battling a growing insurgency by ethnic nationalists in Balochistan in the southwest, and the Pakistani Taliban and its affiliates in the northwest. The government frequently accuses Afghan nationals of taking part in attacks and blames Kabul for allowing militants to take refuge on its soil, a charge Taliban leaders deny. Some Pakistanis have grown weary of hosting a large Afghan population as security and economic woes deepen, and the deportation campaign has widespread support.
Time of India
4 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
Over 200,000 Afghans forced to leave Pakistan amid intensified deportation drive; Iran ramps up expulsions too
Representative image (Picture credit: ANI) More than 200,000 Afghans have left Pakistan since April as Islamabad ramped up its deportation campaign targeting undocumented migrants, with Iran also increasing expulsions, raising concerns over Afghanistan's capacity to manage the influx. According to Pakistan's ministry of interior, over 135,000 Afghans left the country in April, followed by 67,000 in May, and more than 3,000 in just the first two days of June. The repatriation drive, which began in November 2023, has now seen over one million Afghans return from Pakistan, reported news agency ANI, citing ARY News. The deportation campaign is aimed at more than 800,000 Afghans whose residency documents have been revoked. Among them are individuals born or raised in Pakistan. Islamabad has accused Afghan nationals of links to terrorism and blamed Kabul for harbouring militants, a charge the Taliban authorities have repeatedly denied. Farmer Mohammad Wali, who crossed into Afghanistan via the southern Spin Boldak border, was quoted by AFP as saying, 'We left behind our orchards... but we said to ourselves, 'If we stay, maybe one day we'll lose our dignity.'' by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Perdagangkan CFD Emas dengan Broker Tepercaya IC Markets Undo With Eid al-Adha approaching, the pace of returns has slightly slowed, though crossings continue daily. Iran, meanwhile, is pushing ahead with similar measures. The UN's International Organisation for Migration (IOM) recorded 15,675 Afghan deportations from Iran in May, more than double the figure in April. The IOM expressed alarm at the increasing number of families, rather than single men, being sent back, calling this 'a new and concerning trend.' In late May, Iranian authorities ordered undocumented Afghans to leave by July 6—a move that could impact as many as four million people, according to AFP. Already, more than 450,000 Afghans have returned from Iran since January. Both nations host millions of Afghan refugees who fled decades of conflict. But as economic conditions worsen and political tensions rise, public support for Afghan migrants has diminished. Pakistan, which still hosts around three million Afghans, has also warned it may revoke the UNHCR-issued refugee cards of 1.3 million cardholders by the end of June. The IOM has repeatedly urged countries to 'immediately suspend the forced return of Afghans... until safe, voluntary, and dignified return conditions are in place.' The Taliban authorities, who remain internationally unrecognised, have echoed the call, asking for returns to occur in a 'dignified' manner. Analysts view the deportation moves, particularly by Pakistan, as politically driven. Islamabad is under pressure to address domestic security threats, especially in border regions plagued by insurgencies. However, rights groups and humanitarian agencies warn that Afghanistan's already fragile infrastructure is ill-equipped to absorb such a massive and sudden return of people.
