KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – The Taliban’s Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation announced yesterday the release and return of nine Afghan citizens from Pakistani prisons.
Assisted by Interpol, these individuals re-entered Afghanistan via the Torkham border crossing, the ministry said in a statement.
The ministry stated that the detainees had been held in Pakistan for six months to a year due to a lack of legal residency documentation. However, the specific locations of their detention were not disclosed.
The authorities in Kabul have organized similar repatriations in recent months, as Pakistan continues to house millions of Afghan refugees who have fled conflict, persecution, and unemployment in their homeland. According to UN estimates, Pakistan is home to around 3.2 million Afghan refugees, including 1.3 million registered individuals and about 880,000 others with various legal statuses permitting their stay.
In late 2023, Pakistan launched a crackdown on foreign nationals lacking proper legal documentation, a move officials described as a counter-terrorism measure in response to increased security concerns. The operation primarily targeted approximately 1.7 million undocumented Afghan refugees and migrants, resulting in mass deportations, especially impacting women and children.
Many returnees face severe economic, humanitarian, and health challenges in Afghanistan, now under Taliban rule and suffering from recent natural disasters. This year, the UN estimates over 23 million Afghans, including 9 million children, depend on humanitarian assistance.
