RASC News Agency: The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) reports that since 2021, more than 1.6 million Afghanistani citizens have fled to Iran and Pakistan in search of security and protection. These two neighboring nations now host over eight million Afghanistani refugees. In 2024, Afghanistani nationals have become the largest refugee population globally, surpassing Syrian refugees for the first time. The report further details that in the first half of 2024, over 156,000 Afghanistanis returned from Pakistan to their homeland. Pakistan currently hosts approximately 1.3 million registered Afghanistani refugees, alongside an additional 1.5 million individuals with varying legal statuses.
UNHCR also notes that Pakistan’s ability to accommodate these refugees has been severely tested, especially following the government’s 2023 implementation of a “forced repatriation” plan for undocumented foreign nationals. Under this policy, Pakistan aimed to repatriate over one million undocumented individuals. By June 2024, an estimated 647,000 Afghanistani nationals, many lacking legal documentation, had returned to Afghanistan due to fear of arrest and increased pressure.
Additionally, the report reveals that Iran now stands as the world’s largest host of refugees, sheltering a population of at least 3.8 million, including over one million who have arrived since 2021. Despite being offered refuge, Afghanistani migrants in both Iran and Pakistan continue to raise concerns about mistreatment and the numerous challenges they face under often-hostile conditions in these host countries.
