The Taliban’s High Commission for Refugee Affairs has reported that on Friday, August 8, a total of 6,568 people returned to Afghanistan from Iran and Pakistan.
According to the figures, 1,633 arrived from Pakistan, while the rest entered through the Pul-e Abrisham and Islam Qala border crossings with Iran.
Pakistan announced on Tuesday, August 5, that Afghan nationals holding Proof of Registration (PoR) cards must voluntarily leave the country by August 31 or face forced deportation.
However, the UNHCR said a day later that despite this extension, Pakistan had already begun deporting PoR card holders. UNHCR spokesperson Qaiser Khan Afridi told Reuters that hundreds of Afghans with valid documents were arrested and deported between August 1 and 3.
Currently, more than 1.3 million Afghans with PoR cards and around 750,000 with Afghan Citizen Cards (ACC) live in Pakistan.
Iran, meanwhile, has recently slowed the pace of deportations. In the days following its 12-day conflict with Israel, Iran was expelling 30,000–40,000 people daily, though officials in Tehran claim most returnees are leaving voluntarily.
Both Pakistan and Iran remain determined to remove the majority of Afghans from their territories. Islamabad has stated that only those with valid visas will be allowed to remain.
The International Organization for Migration says that in the past two years, more than 4 million people have returned to Afghanistan from neighboring countries.
