Afghanistan Returnees: Taliban Pressure and Millions of Refugees

A total of 5.4 million Afghans have been sent home to Afghanistan since October 2023, most from Pakistan and Iran, says UNHCR’s Afghanistan representative, Arafat Jamal.

– This is massive. And the speed and scale have pushed Afghanistan almost to the brink, he said by video link from Kabul.

Pakistan began its offensive against undocumented foreigners in 2023 by asking people to return home voluntarily if they wanted to avoid arrest and deportation. Iran started its deportations around the same time.

In Pakistan, Afghans were called terrorists and criminals, and in 2025, Pakistani authorities also began withdrawing residence permits and deporting people who had the right papers.

Harassed and arrested

Since the campaign began, people have been pouring across the border, including people who were born in Pakistan decades ago and who had built their lives and started their businesses there.

According to analysts, the expulsions from 2023 were tailored to put pressure on the Taliban authorities, which Pakistan accused at the time of being behind increasing attacks along the border between the countries.

Afghans in Pakistan told of arbitrary arrests, extortion and harassment by the Pakistani authorities.

Last year alone, 2.9 million people poured into Afghanistan, and so far this year a further 150,000 have arrived. Altogether, those who have arrived in the country make up 12 percent of Afghanistan’s population.

Struggling with crisis

The Taliban government in Afghanistan criticizes the deportation from neighboring countries. Afghanistan is already struggling with a deep humanitarian crisis and serious violations of human rights, especially for women and girls.

The Taliban give each returning family small packages with some food, some cash, a sim card and transport to the place where they may have family.

But even that puts great pressure on the resources of a country struggling with a weak economy and the after-effects of severe drought and several earthquakes.

– The high number of returnees causes concern, especially because the winter is harsh, with freezing temperatures and a lot of snow in large parts of the country, says Jamal.

He says that 5 percent of the returnees plan to leave the country again, and over 10 percent say they know someone in their local community who has already left after returning.