RASC News Agency: Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has announced that approximately 2.4 million Afghanistani migrants have been returned from Pakistan to Afghanistan between September 2023 and June 2026, describing the process as gradual, organized, and conducted with respect for human dignity.
In a message marking World Refugee Day, Sharif stated that Pakistan had hosted millions of Afghanistani nationals for decades despite facing significant economic, security, and social challenges of its own. He said the repatriation process was being implemented in coordination with relevant institutions and in accordance with national policies governing migration and border management.
The Pakistani prime minister emphasized the importance of greater international cooperation in addressing displacement and refugee-related challenges, arguing that the long-term solution lies in the emergence of a stable, peaceful, and economically viable Afghanistan capable of providing security, employment opportunities, and sustainable living conditions for its citizens.
Sharif further noted that Islamabad has worked closely with the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), and other international agencies throughout the repatriation process. According to his statement, these partnerships were intended to facilitate the orderly return of migrants while addressing humanitarian concerns associated with large-scale population movements.
His remarks come amid continuing criticism from international human rights organizations and refugee advocacy groups, many of which have repeatedly raised concerns regarding the treatment of Afghanistani migrants in Pakistan. Rights organizations have documented allegations of arbitrary detentions, forced deportations, harassment, and other practices they argue place vulnerable migrant communities at risk.
The deportation campaign has intensified significantly since the Taliban’s return to power in Afghanistan in August 2021. In recent months, the pace of removals has accelerated further against the backdrop of worsening tensions between Islamabad and the Taliban authorities.
Pakistani officials have consistently accused the Taliban administration of failing to dismantle militant networks operating from Afghanistani territory, particularly the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and affiliated extremist groups that Islamabad blames for a sharp rise in terrorist attacks inside Pakistan. Pakistani authorities argue that the continued presence of such organizations poses a direct threat to regional security and undermines efforts to normalize relations between the two neighboring countries.
The Taliban, however, have repeatedly rejected these allegations, insisting that Afghanistan’s territory is not being used to launch attacks against other states and maintaining that Pakistan’s security challenges are primarily domestic in nature.
The issue has become one of the most contentious aspects of Pakistan–Taliban relations, intertwining migration policy, border security, counterterrorism concerns, and regional diplomacy. As deportations continue and political tensions remain unresolved, the future of millions of Afghanistani migrants and the broader relationship between Islamabad and the Taliban authorities remains uncertain.
