This year has been devastating for Afghan refugees. As Afghanistan is plagued by insecurity, economic collapse, and deepening poverty, both Iran and Pakistan have started large-scale mass deportation of Afghan refugees. Forcibly returning those who fled Taliban persecution stands in sharp contradiction to the rhetoric of human rights and the principles of good neighbourliness.
Understanding the crisis facing Afghan refugees requires seeing the realities of life under Taliban rule and the human cost of mass deportations.
Security in Afghanistan
Former soldiers, government employees, women, journalists, and minorities continue to face persecution, torture, sexual violence, imprisonment, and even execution under the Taliban. Despite promises of a general amnesty, credible reports reveal these abuses persist.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Vice and Virtue intrudes into people’s private life—dictating dress, monitoring social media, banning women’s public presence, and crushing gatherings—eroding any sense of safety and turning life into a constant state of fear.
Afghanistan’s economic situation
Afghanistan, facing one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises, is unfit for returning refugees. The World Bank warns that population growth and refugee returns are deepening the crisis. The UN estimates 22.9 million Afghans will need humanitarian aid in 2025. U.S. aid cuts have worsened the situation—prompting the UN humanitarian chief to warn they “will directly lead to deaths.” Meanwhile, Taliban bans on women’s work and education have left even breadwinning women unable to earn a living.
The dire consequences of mass deportations
There are reports that Iran has annulled all Afghan refugees’ census cards temporary residency status, leaving nearly four million undocumented and cut off from public services. They must leave voluntarily or face forced deportation.
Pakistan, which began deporting Afghan refugees in November 2023, launched a new wave of expulsions in April this year. It has announced plans to eventually deport more than three million Afghan refugees.
Such sweeping deportations carry dire consequences: they undermine human rights values, render hollow the slogans of good neighborliness, and erase shared religious and cultural bonds.
Similarly, Pakistan aims to expel over three million Afghan refugees. These actions undermine human rights, betray good neighbourly ties, and harms shared bonds.
Violation of human dignity
In both Iran and Pakistan, the hasty deportation of Afghan refugees has been marred by abuse and indignity. Eyewitnesses report that police and officials routinely subject refugees to insults, humiliation, and at times, violence—violating basic legal and humanitarian standards.
Even those seeking to leave voluntarily—after their residency permits expire—face chaos and neglect. Overwhelmed authorities are unable to process the surge in requests, leading to long delays, confusion, and degrading treatment for refugees and their families.
Exploitation of refugee vulnerability
Mass arrests and rushed deportation deadlines in Iran and Pakistan have opened the door to widespread exploitation of Afghan refugees’ money and property. Refugee workers are often detained without warning, denied the chance to collect wages or access their bank savings—deported while stripped of their belongings.
Families forced out by police or rushed deadlines often leave behind years’ worth of belongings, unsold vehicles, and rental deposits. Homes bought under local names are at risk of seizure. Many also invested large sums in Iranian banks under a now-canceled “residency for investment” scheme—and are now struggling to reclaim their money.
Girls’ deprivation from education
One of the gravest impacts of mass deportations is the loss of education for Afghan girls. Many deported families have school-aged daughters—born or raised in Iran and Pakistan—who migrated in search of schooling. Their forced removal cuts short their futures, pushing them toward early marriage, abuse, depression, and even suicide.
Conclusion
Principles of good neighbourliness, shared values, and human rights call on Iran and Pakistan to reconsider their approach to deporting Afghan refugees. Both countries can and should reassess the expulsion of former soldiers, officials, civil society members, and journalists. They can also implement practical steps to let families sell or transfer their belongings—allowing them to return with dignity.
*Omid Sharafat is the pseudonym of a former university professor in Kabul and an international relations researcher.
