Over 1m Afghans return from Iran, Pakistan in 7 months: UN

KABUL (Pajhwok): The United Nations says that over one million Afghans have returned from Iran and Pakistan in the past seven months—a number that continues to rise.

Acting Minister Maulvi Abdul Kabir met with key UN representatives, including Indrika Ratwatte, UNAMA Deputy Special Representative, Arafat Jamal from UNHCR, and Mihyung Park, Chief of IOM in Afghanistan.

In a statement, the Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation (MoRR) said the meeting focused on Afghan returnees and strengthening cooperation between the caretaker government and UN agencies on migration issues.

Ratwatte noted that the number of returnees is steadily increasing, with a significant rise in forced deportations from Iran, while Pakistan has somewhat reduced its scale of deportations.

He said UNAMA is working to mobilize financial resources to support returnees in coordination with the Afghan caretaker government.

“UNAMA aims to persuade Iran to end forced deportations and promote voluntary returns through a structured and humane process,” Ratwatte added.

He emphasized the importance of reintegrating returnees and proposed the formation of a joint technical committee to identify long-term migration solutions.

UNHCR representative Arafat Jamal reported that non-food items had been dispatched to Islam Qala port in Herat province following a field assessment.

He urged the UN leadership to expand assistance for returnees and announced that the UN High Commissioner for Refugees is expected to visit Kabul in the near future.

Mihyung Park, IOM Chief in Afghanistan, highlighted the rising influx of returnees from Iran and the urgent need for increased funding. Although IOM has scaled up its cash assistance, she said the surge in forced deportations has reduced the effectiveness of their support.

Park also presented several proposals to address the crisis, though specific details were not disclosed.

In response, Maulvi Abdul Kabir expressed appreciation for the UN agencies’ ongoing efforts.

He confirmed that the Islamic Emirate had already dispatched essential supplies and technical teams to Islam Qala and had prepared to support returnees from both Iran and Pakistan. All relevant institutions, he said, are mobilized to provide necessary services.

Kabir also called for a tripartite meeting with Iran to resolve refugee-related concerns and reaffirmed the caretaker government’s commitment to full cooperation with the UN on these issues.

Previously, officials at the Islam Qala border crossing reported that more than 10,000 Afghan refugees return from Iran daily—approximately 70 percent voluntarily and 30 percent through forced deportations.

kk/sa