Pakistan has deported over 19,500 Afghans this month as part of a broader trend that has seen more than 80,000 individuals leave ahead of an April 30 deadline, according to the United Nations.
The government has intensified its efforts to expel undocumented Afghans and those with temporary residency permits, citing capacity issues. Currently, 700 to 800 families are being deported daily, BBC reported.
Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar recently visited Kabul to discuss the deportations, which Afghan officials expressed concern over. Many deported Afghans report having been born in Pakistan, with the UN estimating 3.5 mn Afghans reside in Pakistan, including around 700,000 who arrived post-2021 Taliban takeover, half of whom are undocumented.
As stated by BBC, the situation has also led to increased border tensions, with clashes between security forces attributed to militants based in Afghanistan—a claim the Taliban denies. These mass deportations are straining Afghanistan's fragile infrastructure amid ongoing economic challenges.
