KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – Tajudeen Oyewale, head of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) office in Afghanistan, says that since September 2024, around 600,000 migrants have returned to Afghanistan from Pakistan, and nearly two-thirds of them are children.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Monday, Oyewale said 782 of the child returnees had been separated from their families but have now been reunited with them with UNICEF’s assistance.
He added that he recently returned from the Torkham border area, where he met several children who had been deported from Pakistan.
The forced deportation of Afghan migrants from Pakistan continues, with Pakistani authorities expelling more than 80,000 Afghans since April 1.
Since the crackdown campaign began in November 2023, a total of 907,351 Afghans have been deported, according to Pakistani authorities.
During a meeting in Kabul with Pakistan’s foreign minister, Taliban officials called for a gradual and dignified return process and urged an end to the harassment of migrants.
The UN has repeatedly urged Pakistan to immediately halt the deportation plan.
Rights groups have raised concerns about the forced return of refugees, describing such actions as violations of international human rights and refugee law.
