Pakistan Expels Over 16,000 Afghan Migrants in a Single Day Amid Crackdown

Pakistan Expels Over 16,000 Afghan Migrants in a Single Day Amid Crackdown
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At least 16,000 Afghan migrants were expelled from Pakistan on Monday, November 3, amid Islamabad’s intensified campaign against undocumented foreigners, according to the Taliban’s Commission for Refugees, as reported by Amu TV.

In a statement released Tuesday, the commission said 15,826 Afghans were deported that day, one of the highest daily figures recorded since the crackdown began. Most returnees—8,925 people—crossed through the Torkham border in Nangarhar Province, while 5,912 entered via the Spin Boldak crossing in Kandahar. Another 989 people returned through the Bahramcha border point in Helmand.

The statement added that Iran also deported 417 Afghans—some voluntarily and others forcibly—through border crossings in Herat and Nimroz provinces. The surge comes after Pakistan’s nationwide order for all undocumented migrants, most of them Afghan, to leave the country by early November.

The previous day, November 2, over 15,000 Afghans had crossed back into Afghanistan, bringing the total number of returnees in just two days to more than 31,000. The Taliban commission said biometric registration is underway and limited assistance—about 1.55 million Afghanis ($21,000) in transport and cash aid—has been distributed, along with basic health services.

However, aid organizations warn of growing humanitarian needs. Many returnees are living in makeshift tents without sufficient food, water, or electricity, particularly in Kandahar. Human rights groups have criticized Pakistan’s mass deportations, warning of severe humanitarian consequences as winter approaches and Afghanistan struggles with poverty, drought, and economic collapse.