Afghan Refugees Face Brutal Forcings Back Home
Struggling Times for Afghan Refugee Deportation: Human Rights Activists Express Concerns
Let's talk about the heart-wrenching story unfolding as Afghanistan's displaced citizens, who had sought refuge in Pakistan and Iran, are being violently pushed back to their war-torn homeland.
Imagine families, living in another country for decades, suddenly forced to abandon everything and return to a storm-ravaged Kandahar Province. This is the harsh reality hundreds of thousands of Afghan refugees are now facing.
"We see families arriving with barely anything - often just the clothes on their backs," said Najib Ghiasi, a staff member at Afghan charity Aseel.
One such refugee is a woman named Mausera, who spoke about her struggles to Aseel. She shared that she had lived with her two grandchildren and worked as a cleaner in Pakistan just to provide for them. Her son was killed years ago, and her husband abandoned her long before. With nothing left, she and her family were left with "no food, no clothes, not even our household items. We lost everything," Mausera told an Aseel interviewer from her makeshift tent at the Torkham border.
Pakistan and Iran have been home to a staggering 3.5 million Afghan refugees, and both countries have stepped up forced deportations over the past few years. In just the first half of June, 71,000 refugees were deported, adding to the millions who have been forced to return or leave since 2023.
The interview with Mausera took place amidst a sea of humanity at the border, where she and her family now reside. Men, women, and children were packed into trucks, vans, and small cars, with some holding newborn babies or clinging to meager belongings wrapped in bedsheets.
The forced deportations have particularly devastating consequences for children. Ghiasi notes that "Children understand that something terrible is happening, but they don't fully grasp why they are being removed from the only homes they've ever known." And perhaps the only homes their parents have ever known too. "Most of the deportees have lived in Pakistan for over three decades," Ghiasi stated, "A large majority of them have nowhere to go and no place to call home upon return."
Similar scenes are unfolding at Afghanistan's western borders, which share a line with Iran. The reasons for the forced deportations aren't entirely clear, but many believe the authorities want to remove those without proper documentation.
It's a dreadful time to return for these refugees, as Afghanistan faces a growing humanitarian crisis. "Afghanistan is a humanitarian crisis unto itself," says Sherine Ibrahim of the International Rescue Committee. "There are 23 million people in need." More than three million people could be forced back to Afghanistan by the end of 2025, according to the Norwegian Refugee Council's country director in Afghanistan.
Advocates are warning that the timing couldn't be worse. "It’s so unfortunate that Pakistan is not a signatory to any kind of international refugee protocols or conventions," says Teresa Casale, executive director of Mina's List. "Obtaining legal status for refugees there is virtually impossible," Casale adds.
Sources:[1] IRIN, "Afghan refugees: A new flood of forced returnees from Iran and Pakistan," June 23, 2025.[2] Al Jazeera, "Exodus of Afghans from Pakistan as crackdown intensifies," September 28, 2023.[3] Amnesty International, "Afghanistan: Forced Return of Refugees Puts Lives at Risk," October 26, 2023.[4] United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, "UNHCR: Afghanistan faces largest humanitarian crisis in the world," June 24, 2025.[5] Reuters, "Pakistan begins second phase of Afghan repatriation plan," April 1, 2025.
- The escalating forced deportations of Afghan refugees, who have lived in Pakistan and Iran for decades, raises concerns about their repatriation to a chaotic ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) landscape and potential humanitarian crisis, given the conflict-torn general-news (current events) environment in Afghanistan.
- As political tensions rise around the forced return of Afghan refugees, previously residing in neighboring countries, there is a growing tension between human rights advocates and authorities, questioning the sentiment (attitude) towards migrant welfare and the adherence to international refugee obligations.
- With numerous Afghan refugees already struggling in their home country, the lack of legal credit (financing or recognition) and inability to access formal institutions adds to the difficulty in rebuilding their lives after being forcibly displaced, raising questions about the prospects of their economic future and the necessity for a comprehensive humanitarian response.
