UN Urges Continued Donor Support For Afghans In 2025

The history of Afghan refugees in Pakistan is one of stark contrasts. On one hand, the host communities—particularly in FATA, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Balochistan—have shown extraordinary compassion and hospitality. On the other hand, the Pakistani military and state authorities have frequently politicised and manipulated the refugee issue in pursuit of ill-conceived foreign and security policies. However, the current actions by the Pakistani government represent an entirely new level of recklessness and irresponsibility.

International human rights organisations, refugee advocacy bodies, and the United Nations have repeatedly urged Pakistan to refrain from this humanitarian catastrophe. Citing fears of persecution and serious threats to life upon return to Afghanistan, UN experts have “urged Pakistan to immediately halt mass internal relocations, deportations, arrests, evictions, intimidation, and other forms of pressure on Afghans... and to uphold the absolute and non-derogable principle of non-refoulement”. Similar appeals from Pakistani citizens, civil society leaders, and political figures have also gone unheeded.

The justifications offered by Pakistani policymakers for this callous campaign are largely unfounded. Afghan refugees are not responsible for Pakistan’s deepening woes—be they related to security, economic decline, poor governance, systemic discrimination, or widespread public discontent. Drawing upon the support of the Afghan diaspora abroad, as well as their own resilience and hard work, these refugees have, in fact, contributed more to their host country than they have taken.

The true motivation behind the Pakistani government’s latest actions appears to be political frustration—an attempt to pressure the Taliban into aligning with Islamabad’s security agenda. For over two decades, Pakistan offered sanctuary and support to the Taliban, defying the appeals of Afghanistan, the U.S., and a coalition of over 40 countries. This era of international counterterrorism was marked by deception on a grand scale and unfulfilled promises from Pakistan. Yet the Taliban now seem either unwilling or unable to rein in Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), who are partly to blame for the ongoing violence and instability within Pakistan.

There is little doubt that supporting the Taliban’s return to power was a grave strategic miscalculation by Pakistan—one whose consequences both countries are now forced to endure. But to assume that the Taliban will shift their policies in response to the plight of Afghan refugees, merely to satisfy Islamabad’s security concerns, is an even greater error in judgement.Compounding this is the expectation of cordial relations between the two nations, even as millions of Afghans are expelled under conditions marked by egregious abuses and mistreatment—experiences that have deeply shocked both Afghanistan and the international community.

The Taliban leadership undeniably bears significant responsibility for the current suffering of millions of innocent Afghans—just as it is responsible for the widespread human rights abuses and the systemic oppression of women and girls within Afghanistan. These violations are the primary drivers of mass displacement and the principal reason so many Afghans refuse to return home.

Ultimately, the establishment of a legitimate, accountable state in Afghanistan—one that upholds its obligations to its people and the international community—is essential. Without this, voluntary, safe, and sustainable repatriation of Afghan refugees will remain impossible. Moreover, such a transformation—achieved through an intra-Afghan political settlement—is essential not only for the stability of Afghanistan and Pakistan, but also for the wider security of the region and the world.

The announcement followed a meeting between Atabak and Iran’s ambassador to Kabul, Alireza Bikdeli, held in Tehran.

According to the embassy, Atabak highlighted the importance of strengthening economic cooperation with Afghanistan. He confirmed that he would travel to Kabul leading a delegation.

Iran is seeking to expand its trade relations with the Taliban government. Previously, Iran’s Foreign Minister, Abbas Araghchi, also visited Kabul.

Iran currently holds the largest volume of trade with Taliban-ruled Afghanistan. Official trade between the two sides is valued at around four billion US dollars.

Taliban officials have encouraged foreign investment in Afghanistan’s mining, oil, and gas sectors.

To further enhance trade and support cross-border commerce, the governor of Iran’s South Khorasan province recently announced plans to open an Iranian consulate in Farah. In return, the Taliban will open a consulate in Birjand.

The tone of Iranian officials towards the Taliban shifted following a visit by a high-ranking US delegation to Kabul.

During his recent visit, Araghchi praised the Taliban’s control over Afghan territory. He said the return of Afghan refugees would be gradual and respectful, in line with Taliban requests.

Araghchi also declared that a new chapter in Iran’s relationship with Taliban-led Afghanistan has begun.

Saeed Montazerolmahdi, spokesperson for Faraja, told Mehr News Agency on Sunday that in the year 2024, over 1.12 million “undocumented foreign nationals” were identified and expelled.

The large-scale operation was carried out through more than 1,090 coordinated enforcement plans across Iran, targeting individuals without valid residency documents.

While the nationalities of the deported migrants were not specified, Iran’s Foreign Ministry has previously estimated that between 2 and 2.5 million undocumented Afghan nationals are currently residing in the country. According to the Ministry of Interior, these individuals are to be returned to Afghanistan.

Ahmad Masoumifar, head of the Foreign Ministry’s northeast regional office, stated earlier that deportation of these migrants does not require coordination with any other country. He emphasised that under Iranian policy, undocumented Afghans must leave—either voluntarily or by enforcement.

Masoumifar added that the Taliban government “understands this policy” and does not defend those who have entered Iran illegally. He also said Iran has shown “generosity” toward migrants over the past three years, but now that Afghanistan has achieved “relative stability,” there is no longer justification for their continued presence.

Afghanistan was highlighted as particularly dangerous. The FCDO described the situation there as “volatile,” noting that travel across the country is extremely hazardous and border crossings may be closed without notice.

Key risks cited in the advisory include armed conflict, arbitrary detention, political instability, and natural disasters.

The countries listed in the warning are Afghanistan, Iran, South Sudan, Russia, Haiti, Belarus, Libya, Syria, and Yemen.

For Iran, the advisory specifically warned that British and dual British-Iranian nationals are at heightened risk of arrest and detention. “Having a British passport or connections to the UK can be reason enough for the Iranian authorities to detain you,” the statement said.

Russia was also named due to the ongoing war in Ukraine. The FCDO cited a high likelihood of terrorist attacks, drone strikes, Russian air defence activity, and limited availability of return flights to the UK as primary concerns.

In the past 24 hours, Punjab police arrested over 2,772 Afghan nationals. More than 1,300 of them were deported. Separately, the Deputy Commissioner of Khyber District reported that around 1,100 Afghan migrants were identified and deported yesterday.

Under current directives, all police stations are required to submit daily reports on migrant detentions. These reports are forwarded to senior officials through the security division to ensure close monitoring of deportation efforts.

According to The News, police officers have been warned that delays or negligence in the process will lead to disciplinary action. Stations have also been instructed to manage deportation operations in rotating shifts to maintain continuous oversight and control.

This campaign is part of Pakistan’s wider enforcement of a new immigration policy. The government says the measures are necessary to address national security threats and to remove all undocumented foreign nationals.

However, human rights organisations have criticised the deportations. They say migrants face mistreatment and are being removed without proper legal procedures.

At the Torkham border, customs officials and other sources told The News that vehicles carrying Afghan families and goods must now have valid Temporary Admission Documents (TAD). Without these, they will be denied entry into Afghanistan.

Drivers transporting Afghan families from various cities have been advised to obtain the necessary documentation in advance. Cargo from vehicles without TADs will need to be offloaded and reloaded onto other vehicles for further transport into Afghan cities.