KABUL: More than 150,000 Afghans have returned to their country from Pakistan, Iran, and Turkey in the past 15 days, the Taliban-run Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation said, as regional deportations intensify ahead of winter.
According to Afghanistan’s ministry spokesman Abdulmutalib Haqqani, 24,787 families arrived from Pakistan, 1,251 from Iran, and six from Turkey during this period. Many of the returnees, including women and children, are struggling to find food, shelter, and jobs.
Since 1979, when the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan triggered one of the world’s largest refugee crises, Pakistan has hosted more than four million documented and undocumented Afghan refugees, providing access to free education, healthcare, and livelihood opportunities. Millions of Afghans studied in Pakistani schools and universities, worked in local industries, and received medical treatment in Pakistani hospitals.
Despite economic challenges, Pakistan continued to keep its borders open for decades, offering Afghans dignity and safety when no other country was willing to host them. Afghan nationals have also used Pakistan’s routes and airports to travel abroad for resettlement and trade.
Over 1.6 million Afghans have returned home since November 2023, with 707,000 returning in 2025 alone, mostly after the expiry of PoR and ACC deadlines earlier this year. Afghan authorities have been requested to coordinate reintegration efforts for their citizens now going back home.
During the 1980s, the number of Afghan refugees in Pakistan surged to over four million, making it the largest refugee-hosting nation globally. Between 1980 and 2001, repeated waves of displacement caused by war and instability brought around 3.5 million Afghans into Pakistan. From 2002 to 2022, millions of refugees voluntarily returned home with assistance from the UNHCR and IOM — a testament to Pakistan’s sustained role in regional stability and humanitarian support.
Despite facing economic and security pressures, Pakistan provided safe passage, humanitarian aid, and access to global travel routes for millions of Afghans seeking asylum or resettlement abroad. Islamabad maintains that it has fulfilled its international obligations for over four decades and now expects the global community to support reintegration efforts inside Afghanistan.
