Pakistan’s Dawn newspaper reported that local officials at the Hamza Baba transit point in Landi Kotal said daily returns of Afghans had exceeded 10,000 after the government ordered all Afghan nationals to leave the country by July 10. According to the officials, the figure is nearly three times higher than in May and June.
Qaiser Khan Afridi, spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Pakistan, thanked Pakistan for hosting Afghan refugees for decades but stressed that no refugee should be returned to a country where their life or freedom would be at risk.
He said UNHCR was particularly concerned about women forced to return to a country where their human rights faced serious threats.
Afridi urged the Pakistani government to ensure that any returns of Afghan nationals were carried out on a voluntary, safe and dignified basis.
Fear of Arrest Drives Increase in Returns
Border officials in Landi Kotal and Torkham said fears of arrest and deportation had prompted thousands of Afghans, both documented and undocumented, to head towards the border crossings. They said the number of returnees was expected to rise further as Pakistan fully implements its deportation campaign.
According to UN figures, around 2.56 million Afghan nationals have returned to Afghanistan since Pakistan launched its campaign to expel undocumented foreigners in November 2023. Of those, about 260,000 were deported by Pakistan’s immigration authorities for lacking valid documents. Around 900,000 Afghan refugees and asylum seekers remain in Pakistan.
UNHCR has called on Pakistan to exempt Afghans with urgent international protection needs from deportation. These include female heads of household, girls and women studying in Pakistani educational institutions, ethnic and religious minorities, human rights defenders, journalists, civil society activists, artists and members of the LGBTQ community.
Meanwhile, Pakistani local authorities said the deportation of Afghan nationals was continuing in an organised manner across different areas, including Lower Mohmand, under government supervision. Officials said that, in one recent case, several Afghan families were returned to Afghanistan after their identities were verified and exit documents were issued.
VayuAir on July 12nd, 2026 at 14:33 UTC »
Not at all surprised by Pakistani actions. I don’t understand the west is surprised. They backed this kind of regime after all.
I wish I had a solution except sanctions. I don’t expect that happening at all
rubberycompleteness on July 12nd, 2026 at 11:44 UTC »
scale here is staggering and the silence around it is deafening. pakistan has real security concerns and economic strain but rounding up people who fled decades of conflict and pushing them back into taliban rule is not a solution. document checks in the image look routine but behind them are families losing whatever stability they managed to build over generations. international community lectures about refugee rights when it suits them yet 2.5 million people displaced and barely a headline anywhere. pakistan needs support not just scrutiny because without addressing root causes the cycle keeps repeating itself every few years. nobody wins when you push people into a country with no functioning economy or services and expect them to survive.
NotSoSaneExile on July 12nd, 2026 at 11:05 UTC »
Pakistan is forcing huge numbers of Afghans back into Afghanistan, including refugees and asylum seekers who may face serious danger.
More than 10,000 people are reportedly crossing the border each day.
Since Pakistan began its deportation campaign, roughly 2.5 million Afghans have returned. Around 900,000 refugees and asylum seekers still remain in Pakistan.
Many are not leaving because they believe it is safe to return. They are leaving because they fear arrest and forced deportation.
For some, being sent back could be life-threatening.
Journalists, human rights activists, former government workers and former security personnel may face Taliban persecution, arrest, torture or even death.
Women and girls are being returned to a country where the Taliban severely restricts education, employment, movement and participation in public life.
Many families also arrive with little money, no stable housing and limited access to food, medical care, education or work.
Some families have reportedly been separated during deportations, and the sudden arrival of so many people is placing even more pressure on Afghanistan’s already weak economy and public services.
This is a massive refugee and human rights crisis affecting millions of people.
Yet compared with other international crises, it appears to receive remarkably little attention.