The Taliban government in Afghanistan has reported that the eviction of hundreds of thousands of Afghan refugees from Pakistan and Iran is ongoing, with approximately 2,000 individuals arriving in the country daily.
Qari Yusuf Ahmadi, spokesperson for the Taliban’s commission assisting and resettling returnees to their native Afghan districts, stated, “The two neighbouring countries have forcibly deported over 400,000 refugees since the start of 2024, with Pakistan responsible for 75% of the deportations.”
Ahmadi claimed that efforts are being made to provide the returning refugees with adequate services and amenities.
On Monday, the United Nations cautioned that Afghanistan’s recovery from years of conflict and persistent poverty faces mounting challenges due to deteriorating humanitarian and economic conditions, compounded by a reduction in foreign aid since the Taliban assumed power nearly three years ago.
Taliban officials have voiced concerns over the deportation of Afghan migrants by Iran and Pakistan, calling for enhanced coordination to ensure the repatriation of displaced families aligns with international laws and considers the situation in Afghanistan.
Tehran and Islamabad maintain that their deportation initiatives exclusively focus on undocumented Afghan migrants, in line with laws observed by countries worldwide.
Last October, Pakistan initiated a formal crackdown on foreigners residing illegally, including Afghans, attributing them to a surge in nationwide terrorist activities.
Subsequently, nearly 600,000 Afghans have returned to their home country, with Pakistani officials asserting that “more than 95%” returned voluntarily.
Pakistan has consistently clarified that its crackdown is not directed at the 1.4 million officially declared Afghan refugees hosted by the country, nor is it aimed at the nearly 800,000 migrants holding Afghan citizenship cards.
Since January 2023, the U.N. estimates that over 1.5 million refugees, including voluntary returnees, have returned to Afghanistan from Pakistan and Iran.
Additionally, the U.N. humanitarian agency reiterated in a statement on Monday that more than half of Afghanistan’s population, totaling 23.7 million people, including 9.2 million children, are in need of relief assistance.
The U.N. agency underscored that despite its appeal for approximately $3 billion in funding to support Afghan humanitarian programs in 2024, only 20% of the appeal has been funded six months into the year.
This shortfall significantly hampers relief efforts in a country where 48% of the population lives below the poverty line.
Critics point to various factors, including the Taliban’s stringent restrictions on Afghan women’s access to education and employment, as contributing to the decline in aid.
Under the de facto fundamentalist rule in Afghanistan, girls are barred from pursuing education beyond the sixth grade, and many women face restrictions in both public and private workplaces.
Highlighting this, the U.N. pointed out on Monday that the Taliban’s imposition of increasingly restrictive policies on women and girls’ rights and freedoms has hindered their access to assistance and services, as well as their participation in public life.
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