In the past five months, Pakistan has forcibly deported more than 20,000 Afghan families through the Torkham crossing.
Baz Mohammad Abdul Rahman, Director of Refugees and Repatriation in Nangarhar, told TOLOnews that seventy percent of these families have been resettled in Nangarhar province.
He stated: “The number of returnees is 97,883 individuals, with 70 percent of them settled in Nangarhar and the remaining 30 percent relocated to other provinces. In Nangarhar alone, 14,316 families—comprising 68,591 individuals—have been resettled.”
Many of the families deported from Pakistan have faced serious challenges in finding shelter and a place to live upon returning to Afghanistan.
They are calling on the interim government and aid organizations to assist them in securing shelter.
Arman Khan, a recently deported returnee, said: “When we crossed through Torkham, the Pakistani police told us we had to pay two thousand rupees. We paid the money and were allowed to pass.”
Mir Ahmad Khan, another deportee, said: “If we are supported for even one year, we can stand on our own again. A hand of cooperation must be extended to us.”
According to recent UN statistics, since 2023, Iran and Pakistan have forcibly returned more than three million Afghan migrants to Afghanistan.
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