Afghanistan Times
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KABUL — More than 1.2 million Afghans have been forced to return from Iran and Pakistan so far this year, the United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) reported on Saturday, sounding the alarm over a potential humanitarian crisis unfolding in a country already reeling from economic collapse, severe restrictions on women, and dwindling international aid.
The returnees, many of whom fled war, poverty, or Taliban rule, are arriving back to a homeland many have never seen before, exhausted and traumatized, often with little more than the clothes on their backs. “Afghan families are being uprooted once again, arriving with scant belongings, hungry, scared, and uncertain of their future,” said Arafat Jamal, UNHCR’s representative in Kabul.
The mass expulsions come after both Iran and Pakistan ramped up crackdowns on undocumented foreigners. Iran set a March 20 deadline for Afghans to leave voluntarily or face deportation, while Pakistani authorities have announced a June 30 deadline for 1.3 million Afghans to exit. The two governments deny specifically targeting Afghans, though many say they are bearing the brunt of the expulsions amid rising tensions and political scapegoating.
According to UNHCR, over 366,000 Afghans have been deported from Iran alone this year, and the largest single-day return occurred on June 26, when more than 36,000 people crossed back into Afghanistan. Iran’s brief war with Israel earlier this year further accelerated departures, amid growing hostility and accusations that Afghan refugees may be spying for foreign powers.
On the ground, the situation is growing dire. More than half of Afghanistan’s 41 million people rely on humanitarian aid to survive, yet international funding has sharply declined in protest over Taliban policies—particularly its draconian restrictions on women’s rights, including bans on secondary education, most employment, and public life.
Women and girls returning from abroad now face an uncertain and constrained future. “They fear for their freedom, their education, and their safety,” said Jamal, adding that female returnees face some of the harshest realities of life under the current regime.
Despite this, Taliban officials have pledged support. On Saturday, a high-level ministerial delegation visited Herat province, a major returnee entry point from Iran. The officials promised “swift action” to provide food, healthcare, temporary shelter, and reintegration assistance. According to provincial officials, returnees receive 2,000 afghanis (around $28) and free transport to their home provinces. Residential compounds for returnees are reportedly under construction across the country.
Taliban Prime Minister Mohammad Hassan Akhund has repeatedly called on Afghans abroad to return, insisting they will not face retaliation. “Come back to your ancestral land and live in an atmosphere of peace,” he said in a message posted on social media during Eid al-Adha.
However, rights groups and aid agencies remain skeptical, warning that without meaningful structural support and international oversight, Afghanistan is headed toward further instability. “What we are witnessing is a forced return into a fragile state—one that’s unable to meet even the basic needs of its people,” said one aid worker in Kabul.
Meanwhile, pressure continues to mount in both Iran and Pakistan. Iran’s attorney general on Saturday urged all undocumented foreigners to leave “as soon as possible” or face prosecution. Iranian state media reports estimate that up to 2.5 million Afghans are living illegally in the country.
As regional dynamics shift and political pressures intensify, millions of Afghans now face a stark choice: remain in hostile host countries or return to a homeland still struggling to offer safety, opportunity, and dignity. For many, neither option feels like home.
