With the increasing wave of returning Afghan migrants from neighboring countries—particularly Pakistan—many repatriated families are facing a serious challenge: the lack of shelter.

Several migrants deported through the Torkham crossing say they not only have no homes to live in, but they also do not own any land on which to build one. They are urgently calling on the caretaker government to address their plight.

Bakhtiar, a deported migrant from Pakistan, said: “All our harvests and cattle were lost. These problems began when they raided us. My son, Biyarzada, was also arrested, and even those who were at home were taken away.”

Mohammad Nabi, another deported migrant from Pakistan, said: “We ask that job opportunities be created for us. We have no homes, no land. All our belongings are left outside. There are no jobs, and no one has created employment for us. But our most urgent need is shelter.”

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Urban Development reports that dozens of residential townships have been established across the country for returning migrants.

Kamal Afghan, the spokesperson for the ministry, said that so far, 60 townships have been prepared nationwide for deported migrants.

“The Ministry of Urban Development and Housing, which leads the Permanent Housing Committee, has so far prepared 60 residential townships across the country for forcibly deported migrants, and our provincial teams are still working on developing additional townships,” the spokesperson stated.

At the same time, the World Food Programme (WFP), in a report, noted the increase in deportations of Afghan migrants from Pakistan, predicting that 1.6 million people will be returned from Pakistan and some from Iran in the near future.

The agency said that the suspension of US humanitarian aid and the increase in returns have worsened Afghanistan’s humanitarian crisis.

According to WFP’s report: “Pakistan and Iran have increased efforts to repatriate undocumented Afghan nationals, with over 2.7 million returned since August 2021. The return of Afghan nationals has intensified in 2025, with thousands being deported or choosing to return due to Pakistan's crackdown on undocumented refugees, putting pressure on host communities and services, particularly in border provinces.”

Juma Khan Pouya, a migrant rights activist, emphasized: “Providing services such as psychological counseling, financial assistance, transport, and other basic services and facilities is the responsibility of international organizations—particularly humanitarian aid agencies—and these must be made available to Afghan migrants.”

In addition, the International Committee of the Red Cross and Red Crescent announced that from April 1st to 7th of this year, a total of 1,825 families—comprising 12,775 individuals—returned to the country through the Torkham and Spin Boldak crossings.