In the past eleven days, Pakistan has forcibly deported 40,000 Afghan migrants.
Local officials in Nangarhar province say Pakistan has accelerated the deportation of Afghan migrants in recent days. Meanwhile, officials from the caretaker government in Torkham township have facilitated services for these returnees and arranged their transportation to their original provinces.
Bakht Jamal Gowhar, the migration transfer officer in Torkham, stated: “In the past eleven days, around 7,000 families have arrived, totaling approximately 40,000 individuals. Among them are documented and undocumented families, deported individuals, and forced returnees.”
Recently deported migrants report that Pakistani police treated them harshly, extorted money under various pretexts during the journey, and acted aggressively.
Returning Afghans say Pakistani drivers exploited their vulnerability, charging excessive transportation fares.
Mohammad Eshan, a deportee from Pakistan, said: “The first time I was arrested, they took 20,000 rupees from me. Three days after releasing me, I went back home. I’m the head of my household—when I went shopping, they arrested me again and took another 20,000 rupees.”
Bakhtiar, another deportee, said: “We had no choice; they put us under immense pressure and treated us with cruelty. When we arrived at Torkham and witnessed the situation there, we considered it a relief compared to the abuse we endured in Pakistan. Pakistani border officers demanded 20,000 to 30,000 rupees just to issue forms for us.”
Dad Mohammad, a 58-year-old resident of Kunar province, who had migrated to Pakistan 45 years ago, said that despite decades of work and settlement, he and his family were deported abruptly and empty-handed, in violation of migration principles.
He recounted: “The Pakistani police raided my house, treated me harshly, and didn’t even give me a chance to take my belongings. Our motorcycles, cargo vehicle, and all our possessions were left behind. We barely had time to load the children into the vehicle and flee.”
Sanaullah, another deportee, said: “They gave us three days to leave Pakistan. In that time, we couldn’t sell our belongings or prepare our vehicle—everything was left behind.”
Meanwhile, Abdul Salam Hanafi, Deputy Administrative Chief of the Prime Minister’s Office, during a recent visit to Nangarhar and Kunar provinces, initiated the process of distributing land to the newly returned Afghan migrants from Pakistan.