Afghanistan Peace CampaignMeanwhile, some of the recently deported refugees say they face serious challenges, including lack of shelter, emergency aid, and employment opportunities.
Zalmay Khalilzad, the former US special representative for Afghanistan peace, has warned that Pakistan might use the refugee deportation process as a cover to send ISIS fighters into Afghanistan.
Khalilzad wrote on X: “Knowledgeable people tell me that they are concerned that the Pakistan establishment might well be using the expulsion of Afghan refugees as a cover to send ISIS terrorist to Afghanistan. I share this concern.”
“Given the concerns of the international community, especially those of Khalilzad and other organizations, there is no doubt that Pakistan may once again use the pretext of forcibly deporting Afghan refugees to infiltrate ISIS or other terrorist fighters into Afghanistan, which would cause instability and chaos in the region,” said Najib Rahman Shamal, a political analyst.
Meanwhile, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) announced that nearly 60,000 Afghan refugees were returned via Torkham and Spin Boldak in the first two weeks of this month.
Mohammad Osman Azizi, IOM communications associate, told TOLOnews: “The situation is rapidly heading toward crisis. In just the first two weeks of April, around 60,000 undocumented Afghans were forcibly returned through Torkham and Spin Boldak. Of these, the organization has provided assistance to 16,000 individuals.”
Meanwhile, some of the recently deported refugees say they face serious challenges, including lack of shelter, emergency aid, and employment opportunities.
“Right after Eid, Pakistan began deporting Afghan refugees. My children are left without a future. Refugees are facing severe problems,” Abdul Qudoos, a deportee, told TOLOnews.
“I was born in Pakistan. I had a job and a shop there. I returned with nothing and now face serious economic difficulties,” said another deportee.
According to IOM data, from September 2023 to April 2025, over 2.4 million Afghan refugees have returned from Pakistan and Iran, 54% of whom were forcibly deported.