OVER 128,000 AFGHAN REFUGEES REPATRIATED FROM PAKISTAN IN SIX WEEKS, IOM SAYS

May 15, 2025:

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) reports that more than 128,000 Afghan refugees have been repatriated from Pakistan since early April, the majority of whom were forcibly deported.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter) on May 14, 2025, the IOM said it had provided shelter, food, medical care, and protection to more than 68,000 returnees, most of them women and children.
The IOM warned that the needs of returnees remain high.
Pakistan, which has hosted one of the world’s largest Afghan refugee populations for decades, has intensified deportations in recent months. Thousands are now being sent back daily to Taliban-controlled Afghanistan, a country struggling with poverty and humanitarian challenges.
Authorities in Pakistan say at least 1.3 million Afghan refugees have been expelled since late 2023, when a crackdown on undocumented foreign nationals began.
The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that more than 1.6 million Afghan refugees will return from Pakistan in 2025. It expects 80% of them to be repatriated between April and September.
Human rights groups and UN agencies have urged Pakistan to stop the deportations, citing the worsening crisis in Afghanistan. Nearly 23 million people—mostly women and children—rely on humanitarian aid, while restrictions on women’s rights remain severe under Taliban rule.
Activists, former government employees, and journalists are particularly at risk, the UN has warned.
“Among these refugees are former Afghan government officials, civil society activists, musicians, and educated professionals. Forcing them back would mean putting their lives at serious risk,” said UNHCR spokesperson Qaisar Khan Afridi.