Afghanistan Faces Rising Challenges as Thousands Return from Pakistan
While some countries are busy with conflicts or economic battles, Afghanistan is facing a different kind of crisis inside its borders. The Taliban-led government is struggling with multiple problems, including a large number of people returning home from neighboring Pakistan.
Many Afghans who had previously fled the country are now coming back, even as Afghanistan deals with devastating earthquakes that have caused widespread destruction in the southeastern regions. According to recent reports by the UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees), around 1.4 million Afghans have returned from Pakistan so far. Of these, over 102,000 were deported from Pakistan, with many others choosing to go back voluntarily.
Pakistan has taken a hard stance against returning Afghan refugees. When the UN urged Pakistan to stop the mass deportations, Pakistan’s foreign ministry simply said, “It is our territory, we decide who stays.” Tensions between the two countries are growing, especially with recently strained relations and unresolved conflicts with Iran and Israel.
Earlier this year, Pakistan resumed its “Illegal Foreigners Repatriation Plan,” focusing mainly on Afghan citizens holding special ID cards. These refugees were told they must leave Pakistan by the end of March or face deportation. The plan was extended in July to include more Afghan refugees with Proof of Registration (PoR) cards, giving them a deadline of August 31 to leave.
Since April, over 483,700 Afghans have returned to Afghanistan from Pakistan, with a record 145,200 returning just in August. Close to 55,000 of them made the journey in the last four days of that month. The number of PoR cardholders among the returnees is rising quickly—from just 6% in April to over half of returns in August (54%).
The situation on the ground is tense. More than 57,000 people, including PoR cardholders, have been detained or arrested since April. In August alone, about 9,000 arrests took place, more than double the number from July. Some of the districts most affected are in Balochistan, like Chaghi and Pishin, where Pakistan is trying to put down separatist movements.
The UN reports that over the past year, about 2.5 million Afghans have returned from both Pakistan and Iran, with a significant share coming from Pakistan. The return wave continues despite Pakistani claims that many of these refugees are linked to terrorism or cross-border militancy. Pakistan says it can no longer afford to host over 3.7 million Afghan refugees, citing economic and security issues.
Interestingly, Pakistan originally supported the Afghan Mujahideen to fight the Soviet invasion, which later evolved into the Taliban. Now, relations between Afghanistan and Pakistan are tense, with border conflicts, missile attacks, and accusations that Pakistan is harboring Baloch rebels and Taliban factions.
The situation remains complex, and Afghanistan is at a crossroads as it manages internal challenges, external pressures, and a large return of its people from across the border.
