Over 1.6m refugees return to Afghanistan this year: OCHA

KABUL (Pajhwok): The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) says 1.668 million Afghan refugees have returned to their country as of July 26.

In a statement, OCHA wrote: “An estimated 1,668,000 Afghans have returned to Afghanistan in 2025, including 1,280,000 from Iran and 389,000 from Pakistan”.

Between July 1 and 26 alone, approximately 539,000 individuals returned from Iran, accounting for almost one-third of the overall number of people that have returned from Iran so far this year

It said during the reporting period (July 20-26), daily arrivals from Iran averaged around 11,000. In contrast, returnees from Pakistan during the same period averaged 1,100 per day

According to OCHA, returns from Pakistan are expected to increase in the coming months after the country’s Ministry of Interior signed a legal decree on the return of Afghans on July 31.

“Statutory Regulatory Order confirmed that the validity of Proof of Registration (PoR) cards expired on June 30, 2025 and rendered the continued stay of PoR cardholders as unlawful. Currently, around 1.4 million Afghan PoR cardholders remain in Pakistan”.

Yesterday, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) expressed concern over Pakistan’s decision to deport Afghans possessing PoR cards from the country and said this action would violate Pakistan’s commitments to accept refugees.

On July 30, the Ministry of Refugees and Repatriates said in the past three months alone, nearly two million people returned to Afghanistan from Iran and Pakistan had, including about 1.8 million forcibly deported from Iran.

hz/ma