900,000 Migrants Returned From Iran, Turkey, Pakistan in 8 Months
The Ministry of Refugees and Repatriations has reported that in the past eight months of the current solar year, more than 900,000 Afghan migrants have returned to the country from Iran, Turkey, and Pakistan.
Abdul Mutalib Haqqani, the spokesperson for the Ministry of Refugees and Repatriations, told regarding these figures: “In the past eight months, approximately 970,000 Afghans have returned to the country. About 88,000 of them came from Pakistan, 5,000 from Turkey, and the rest from Iran.”
Meanwhile, Abbas Ali Mohammadian, the Chief of Tehran Police, stated that 700 to 800 Afghan migrants are detained daily and deported from Iran.
According to Mohammadian, so far, 70,000 undocumented migrants have been deported from Iran, and around 70,000 others have voluntarily left and returned to their country.
The Chief of Tehran Police added: “Approximately 170,000 individuals have been rounded up so far, and we collect 700 to 1,000 people daily.”
Some migrant rights activists emphasized the need for host countries to provide better facilities for Afghan migrants.
Nazar Nazari, a migrant rights activist, stated: “Migrants are eager to return to their country, but their concerns revolve around shelter and the lack of basic living necessities. At present, host countries should focus their attention on addressing these crises.”
Earlier, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) reported an 18% increase in the deportation of Afghan migrants from Iran compared to last year. According to statistics from this organization, Iran has deported nearly 560,000 Afghan migrants in the first nine months of the current year.
