More than 2.4 million undocumented Afghan refugees have returned to their home countries in the past 2 years.
According to the International Organisation for Migration, which has played a prominent role in facilitating the return of the refugees, scores of refugees were forcibly repatriated to their country from Pakistan and Iran.
The report said returns from Iran remain high in 2023 and 2024. The Iranian authorities also planned to escalate the deportation process with a new wave of large-scale return from Pakistan. The agency needs shelters and other basic facilities for the refugees when they come back to their homes. It has strengthened operation at key border points to address the issue of a huge influx of refugees.
Pakistan has deported around 1 million Afghanis who were staying in Pakistan without legal travel documents. It had announced April 15 as the deadline for undocumented refugees to return to Afghanistan and threatened to take action against those who defy this order.
Pakistan-Afghanistan relations have deteriorated in the recent year due to the rise in terror attacks in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Islamabad accuses the Taliban government of giving shelter to terror groups like the banned Tehrik-i-Taliban (TTP) and the Balochistan National Army. These groups are responsible for measuring terror attacks in Pakistan, including the hijacking of a passenger train in which dozens of security personnel were killed.
