Pakistan's Mass Deportation of Afghans Raises Humanitarian Concerns

In April, Pakistan has expelled over 19,500 Afghans as a part of an increased effort to deport undocumented migrants, as per UN reports. The total number of Afghans forced to leave could exceed 80,000 ahead of a strict deadline set by authorities. Pakistan claims it cannot accommodate the influx of nearly two million Afghans who may soon follow. Days after announcing the deportations, Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar visited Kabul for discussions with the Taliban government, amid growing anxiety over the situation.

On the Torkham border, many deportees revealed they were born in Pakistan and had never set foot in Afghanistan. One man, Sayed Rahman, who lived his entire life in Pakistan, expressed despair over his uncertain future. Concerns about education for children also loom large, particularly for girls facing Taliban restrictions on schooling. Others described the trials of returning to a homeland many have never known, exacerbated by the already significant pressures on Afghanistan’s struggling infrastructure.

With the crisis unfolding, assistance at the border crossing is scant. Families are often seen sheltering from the heat while waiting for transport back to devastated regions. Many express frustration over strict limits on what belongings they can carry across the border. The situation has drawn the ire of human rights organizations, which allege violations of rights amid this mass exodus. The repercussions of these deportations are likely to ripple through both Pakistan and Afghanistan, quintessentially underlining the human cost of ongoing geopolitical tensions in the region.