Pakistan Intensifies Deportations of Afghan Nationals Amid Border Tensions

Pakistan Intensifies Deportations of Afghan Nationals Amid Border Tensions
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Pakistan expelled 3,001 Afghan nationals on Wednesday, Dec. 10, as deportations continued through several border points, Amu TV reported. The Taliban’s commission for refugees said an additional 382 Afghans were returned from Iran, both forcibly and voluntarily, via crossings including Torkham, Spin Boldak, Bahramcha, Islam Qala and Pul-e Abrisham.

The commission noted that Pakistan had expelled 2,951 migrants a day earlier, most under coercion. The uptick in removals comes after eight days of border clashes this month and the temporary closure of various crossings to regular traffic, allowing only the transfer of Afghan migrants.

Aid agencies say hundreds of thousands of recent returnees from Pakistan and Iran are struggling to secure shelter, employment and essential services, particularly as winter conditions worsen. Humanitarian groups warn that reception centres are overstretched and that limited assistance, combined with Afghanistan’s weak economy, risks deepening already severe levels of poverty and food insecurity.