Najibullah, 33, was forcibly deported from Pakistan through the Spin Boldak crossing after being detained and spending time in one of the country’s prisons without his family members.
He is currently undergoing treatment at a medical center in Spin Boldak district of Kandahar province.
Najibullah said “I am upset that my family is still in Pakistan, but here, doctors and officials of the Islamic Emirate have assured me they are ready to help with any problem.”
Abdul Hadi, a deported migrant, said: “My lips have cracked from deep sorrow. I was imprisoned even though I had committed no crime. I have a headache and can barely walk, but I’m under treatment here. The prison in Pakistan was extremely harsh.”
Several other deported migrants in Spin Boldak shared harrowing accounts of mistreatment by Pakistani forces.
They said that due to psychological torture and separation from their families while imprisoned in Pakistan, they are now suffering from mental health issues.
Shafiullah, one of the deportees, stated: “The situation was terrible. In detention, they didn’t give us food. We had to pay 2,000 rupees to get food, and even then, they gave us only two pieces of bread while pocketing the rest of the money.”
Juma Khan, another deportee, said: “They opened fire and told us to leave Pakistan immediately and return to Afghanistan. They were extremely cruel to us.”
Health officials in Spin Boldak said that since the beginning of April this year, they have treated 2,648 migrants returning from Pakistan who were suffering from mental health conditions.
Mohammad Muqeem Naeemi, head of the Afghan Red Crescent’s mobile health team in Kandahar, said: “Many of the returnees who were imprisoned in Pakistan still carry visible marks of torture on their bodies from beatings. They are mentally traumatized because their families remain in Pakistan while they were deported alone.”
Dr. Mohammad Akbar said: “We have the facilities here to treat both viral and mental illnesses, and we are providing complete care.”
According to the Directorate of Refugees and Repatriations in Kandahar, about 300 migrant families are forcibly deported daily through the Spin Boldak crossing. After receiving immediate humanitarian aid, they are transferred to their home regions.