Over 70 Afghan Families Deported from Pakistan and Iran in One Day
The Taliban's High Commission for Refugees announced that Pakistan and Iran deported at least 75 Afghan migrant families on Sunday, 17 Hoot. According to the report, these migrants were returned to Afghanistan via Herat, Kandahar, and Nimroz provinces.
Taliban reports specify that 38 families crossed via the Silk Bridge in Nimroz, 15 families through Islam Qala in Herat, and 22 families via Spin Boldak in Kandahar.
While returns from Iran have relatively decreased, arrests and deportations of Afghan migrants from Pakistani cities have intensified due to clashes between the Taliban and Pakistan. Officials in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province stated that over 1,000 Afghan migrants have been arrested and imprisoned in the province following the onset of these clashes.
The Taliban claims Pakistan is using Afghan migrants as leverage. International organizations have repeatedly expressed concern over the mass deportation of Afghan migrants from Pakistan, stating that Afghanistan under Taliban control is not safe for many returnees.
Pakistani media reported on Sunday that these migrants were arrested between February 27 and March 4, with around 1,600 detained in Peshawar and nearly 400 others in Noshera and Charsada areas. Pakistan has intensified arrests and deportations amid rising border tensions and closures of key crossings like Torkham port.
Pakistan's Express Tribune, citing officials, reported that border closures have temporarily halted arrests and transfers, with operations potentially resuming after Eid al-Fitr. Police and local officials described the pause as a temporary administrative measure for Ramadan management, not a policy change.
Arrests have occurred across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa: over 50 undocumented Afghans in Jamrud, 12 returned via Torkham from Landikotal, 7 in Dera Ismail Khan, Laki, and Sarai Naurang, 80 in Swat under foreign nationals law, and 174 in Kohat. Kohat police chief Shehbaz Ilahi said these are part of coordinated efforts for public order and security.
UNHCR stated that about 1 million people returned from Pakistan in the past year, with around 2,000 daily since the start of 2026.
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