Nearly 8,000 Afghanistani Migrants Expelled from Iran and Pakistan in 24 Hours, Exposing Taliban’s Negligence

RASC News Agency: In a dramatic escalation of forced deportations, the Taliban’s self-styled Commission for Refugees reported that on Saturday, August 30, over 6,200 Afghanistani migrants were expelled from Pakistan in a single day. According to Taliban claims, these individuals were pushed across border crossings at Torkham, Spin Boldak, Angoor Ada, and Bahramcha. This mass expulsion highlights Islamabad’s growing intolerance toward Afghanistani migrants and underscores the increasing humanitarian burden imposed on Afghanistan under Taliban rule. Meanwhile, Iran forcibly or “voluntarily” returned another 1,677 Afghanistani migrants via the Islam Qala and Pul-e-Abrisham border points. These successive waves of deportations exacerbate the already severe humanitarian crisis engulfing Afghanistan, a nation struggling under the Taliban’s mismanagement and systemic neglect.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) recently reported that since the beginning of 2024, more than 2.3 million Afghanistani migrants have been repatriated from Iran and Pakistan. The agency warned that many returnees are suffering psychological trauma, while women and girls confront intensifying restrictions on basic rights. Additionally, religious minorities outside the Taliban-favored Hanafi sect, human rights defenders, and journalists face heightened risk of persecution and violence, illustrating the regime’s systematic oppression. UNHCR emphasized that Afghanistan’s limited capacity to absorb such numbers, combined with chronic unemployment, recurring natural disasters, and escalating humanitarian needs, has created a deepening national crisis. Aid organizations and international observers repeatedly warn that continued forced returns could push the country closer to collapse, undermining regional stability.
Despite the crisis, the Taliban leadership remains willfully indifferent, dismissing international concern as Western propaganda while falsely claiming that “all matters proceed according to plan.” Analysts assert that this indifference is not mere incompetence but a reflection of the Taliban’s broader governance failure. By prioritizing ideological control and political survival over basic citizen welfare, the regime has exacerbated poverty, insecurity, and social instability, leaving millions of Afghanistani citizens stranded in an unrelenting humanitarian disaster. The ongoing expulsions starkly illustrate that the Taliban are incapable of providing even minimal protection for their population, while their inaction continues to fuel domestic suffering and international alarm. The combined impact of mass deportations, systemic gender oppression, and social neglect demonstrates that the Taliban’s rule remains illegitimate, destructive, and unsustainable.