KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – Nearly 500 Afghan nationals returned to Afghanistan this week after being released from prisons across Pakistan, the Taliban’s Ministry of Refugee Affairs said, as Islamabad ramps up its nationwide crackdown on undocumented Afghans.
In a statement posted on X, the ministry said 491 Afghans had been detained in different Pakistani prisons for lacking legal residency documents. Of those, 379 crossed back into Afghanistan through the Torkham border crossing in the east, while 112 returned via Spin Boldak in the south.
The returnees were subsequently transported to their home provinces in Afghanistan, the ministry said. It provided no details on the specific locations of their detention in Pakistan or how long they had been held.
The releases come as Pakistan intensifies arrests, raids and deportations targeting Afghan nationals. Afghan refugees and migrants have reported heightened police operations in major cities including Islamabad and Karachi since the start of the year.
Pakistan has hosted millions of Afghans for more than four decades, many of whom fled successive waves of conflict, political turmoil and economic hardship. Before Islamabad launched its deportation campaign in late 2023, the United Nations estimated around 3.2 million Afghans were living in the country. Since then, more than 2 million have returned or been deported to Afghanistan, U.N. agencies say.
Thousands of Afghans, including journalists, activists, former government employees, and women professionals, crossed into Pakistan after the Taliban’s return to power in August 2021, fearing retaliation and restrictions imposed by the group.
The crackdown has intensified in recent months amid tensions between Islamabad and the Taliban authorities over security issues and cross-border militancy. Taliban authorities say more than 13,000 Afghans returned from Pakistan during the past three days alone.
Humanitarian groups and aid agencies have warned that continued large-scale returns could worsen Afghanistan’s humanitarian crisis, where millions already depend on aid. They have also raised concerns about the situation of women and girls returning to Afghanistan, where Taliban restrictions on education, employment and public life remain in place.
Human rights groups have repeatedly called on Pakistan to stop forced deportations and ensure the protection of vulnerable Afghans, including those who could face life-threatening dangers upon return.
