Pakistan Accelerates Deportation of Afghan Migrants Amid Rising Tensions

Pakistan Accelerates Deportation of Afghan Migrants Amid Rising Tensions
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Pakistan deported at least 4,540 Afghan nationals on Tuesday as part of its ongoing expulsion of undocumented migrants, Amu TV reported. According to figures from the Taliban’s refugee commission, an additional 254 Afghans returned from Iran, either voluntarily or under pressure, entering Afghanistan through the Torkham, Spin Boldak, Islam Qala and Silk Bridge border crossings.

The removals follow the deportation of 6,247 migrants a day earlier, reflecting a broad crackdown amid heightened tensions between Islamabad and the Taliban authorities. Human rights organizations have warned that many Afghans sent back face significant risks, citing allegations of mistreatment during detention and expulsions carried out without due legal procedures.

The commission said thousands of deportees were processed at border checkpoints and transit facilities. Independent rights groups and media watchdogs have expressed alarm over reports that Afghan journalists and civil society figures living in Pakistan were recently detained and forced to return. Accounts have also surfaced of families, including women and children, being removed from informal settlements.

One widely reported incident involved an overnight police raid in Islamabad’s Argentina Park, where officers forcibly dismantled a makeshift camp and evicted dozens of Afghan families who had been living under tents for months. The mass expulsions come after weeks of border closures and a diplomatic standoff between Pakistan and the Taliban. International humanitarian organizations say the combination of disrupted trade routes and escalating deportations is intensifying concerns about an emerging regional refugee crisis.