More than six million Afghans have returned to Afghanistan in less than three years, many after being deported from neighbouring Pakistan and Iran, creating a major humanitarian crisis under Taliban rule.
The latest wave of returns comes as Pakistan and Iran intensify their efforts to remove undocumented Afghan migrants. The United Nations says about one million Afghans have already been forced to return this year alone.
At the Torkham border crossing between Pakistan and Afghanistan, families arrive carrying whatever belongings they were able to take with them. Many have little idea where they will live or how they will earn a living.
Among those returning is 35-year-old Nazia, who was born in Pakistan and had never previously visited Afghanistan. Nearly her entire family was deported this year.
“It feels good to be in my own country,” she said, while acknowledging that many people in Afghanistan do not even have enough food to eat.
The UN refugee agency, UNHCR, says around six million people have returned to Afghanistan in less than three years, describing it as an unprecedented return movement in recent history.
Many of those arriving have spent decades outside Afghanistan. Some were born abroad and have never lived in the country before.
Sarwar, who recently returned from Pakistan with his relatives, said his family had lived there for decades. Although he was heartbroken to be forced from his home, he said he was also relieved to be free from harassment by Pakistani police.
Pakistan and Iran have defended the deportations, saying they have security and economic concerns about undocumented Afghan migrants. Human rights organisations, however, have raised concerns about raids, arrests and the treatment of Afghans facing removal.
The situation is particularly difficult for women and girls returning to Taliban-controlled Afghanistan. Women and girls face severe restrictions on education and public life, with secondary schools and universities closed to them.
Zarina, a 40-year-old returnee, said she was particularly worried about the future of the girls in her family.
“Of course I’m worried,” she said, pointing to the children around her.
Some returnees also fear persecution. One former Afghan security guard who was deported from Iran and later Pakistan told the BBC that he rarely leaves his home because he fears for himself and his family.
He said he did not trust the Taliban’s previous promise of amnesty for former government workers and security personnel, claiming that several of his former colleagues had been killed.
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The mass returns are placing additional pressure on Afghanistan, where humanitarian needs are already severe. The UN estimates that 21.9 million people, almost half of the country’s population, need assistance this year.
UNICEF has also warned that around one million children face life-threatening malnutrition.
Aid agencies have established temporary camps near the border to provide returning families with food and shelter, but resources remain limited.
The Taliban government has acknowledged the pressure created by the large number of returnees and has appealed for international assistance. However, restrictions imposed on women and girls remain a major obstacle to gaining greater international support.
For millions of Afghans arriving from Pakistan and Iran, the return represents an uncertain new beginning. Many are entering a country they barely know, with few resources, limited opportunities and little more than the belongings they were able to carry across the border.
(BBC News)
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