NRC: 760,000 Afghans Returned from Pakistan Since October

The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) stated that nearly 760,000 Afghans have returned from Pakistan since October last year.

Officials from this organization emphasize their support for returnees in Afghanistan.

Kiana Alavi, advocacy manager of the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) in Afghanistan, said: “For some, their children were born in Pakistan and many lacked Afghan ID cards and other documents needed to restart their lives in Afghanistan. Our team at the border guides them on where to obtain legal documents and connects them with assistance, such as shelter, food.”

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) has also reported that, in the past week alone, more than 70,000 Afghan migrants have entered Afghanistan from the borders of Iran and Pakistan.

In the report, the organization said: ” An additional 28,742 individuals entered through the Torkham, Ghulam Khan, Pathan, Angor Ada, Spin Boldak, Baramcha, and Nazar Posta border crossing points with Pakistan.

An additional 28,742 individuals entered through the Torkham, Ghulam Khan, Pathan, Angor Ada, Spin Boldak, Baramcha, and Nazar Posta border crossing points with Pakistan.”

Meanwhile, Iranian media, quoting an advisor to the minister and head of the Bureau for Aliens and Foreign Immigrants’ Affairs, reported that Iran has urged undocumented Afghan nationals to take advantage of the provided opportunity and return to their homeland.

Nader Yar Ahmadi, the advisor to the minister, identified higher incomes, easier access to facilities, and lower living costs in Iran as the main drivers of the mass migration of Afghans to the country.

Mohammad Khan Mohammadzai, a migrant rights activist, said: “The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan must work in collaboration with host countries to establish the necessary infrastructure for reducing migration and ensuring the dignified return of migrants.”

Some deported migrants from Iran have also emphasized that economic difficulties forced them to migrate.

Rommel, one such migrant, said: “There is no work here. Whoever goes to another country does so out of desperation to provide something for their family. The current system forced me to migrate to Iran.”

Meanwhile, the IOM, in its latest report on the occasion of International Migrants Day, announced that more than 1.2 million Afghan migrants returned to Afghanistan from Iran and Pakistan in 2024.