Efforts Underway To Redefine Ties With Taliban In Positive Direction, Says Pak FM

Hossein Jamshidi, governor of Taybad district in northeastern Iran, said on Sunday, 29 June, that more than 95000 Afghans had been identified across 11 provinces and deported via the Dogharoun border crossing with Afghanistan.

Jamshidi, who visited the border to oversee the return process, told reporters that approximately 8000 Afghans are being returned daily. “Undocumented Afghan nationals identified across the country are returned to Afghanistan through the Dogharoun border after legal procedures,” he said, adding that 250 buses are used daily to transport migrants.

He claimed that more than 90 percent of those deported had “voluntarily” left Iran. However, that assertion contradicts reports from human rights organisations and international bodies, which cite growing pressure and an intensifying wave of forced deportations.

While Iranian authorities insist that only undocumented migrants are being removed, numerous Afghan migrants, including those with valid passports and visas, have reported being detained and expelled. Testimonies collected by rights groups and media outlets also allege cases of violence, mistreatment, and the confiscation of personal belongings by Iranian security forces.

The deportations come amid a sharp increase in returns of Afghan migrants from Iran, with international agencies warning of a deepening humanitarian crisis at Afghanistan’s borders.

Rasoul Mousavi, former Director General for South Asian Affairs at Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, wrote in an article published by a domestic Iranian outlet that Afghan migrants are “not aligned with enemy spies” and should not be treated as security threats.

“Managing issues related to Afghan migrants in Iran requires a patient, precise approach based on human dignity,” Mousavi stated.

His remarks follow a wave of arrests during Iran’s recent 12-day conflict with Israel, during which several Afghan nationals were detained on allegations of collaborating with Israeli intelligence. Iranian state media released footage of two Afghan men purportedly confessing to ties with Israel, though the conditions under which the video was recorded remain unclear.

In the aftermath of the ceasefire with Israel, the Iranian government significantly accelerated deportations of Afghan migrants, with returns reaching unprecedented levels.

Mousavi, a veteran diplomat with extensive experience in Afghan affairs, emphasised the longstanding cultural and religious ties between Afghans and Iranians. “As someone who has long been involved with Afghanistan and knows many Afghans personally, I can say with confidence that their hatred for Israeli spies and the enemies of Iran and Muslims is no less than ours, if not greater,” he wrote.

He urged Iranian authorities to carefully differentiate between genuine security threats and the broader undocumented migrant population. “There is a clear distinction between spies and those linked to enemy intelligence services, and ordinary Afghan migrants who have no connection to such activities,” he said.

Avand Azeez Agha, a spokesperson for the IOM, told Agence France-Presse (AFP) that the total number of returnees from Iran since January has now surpassed 691000. He added that more than 70 percent of those returned were forcibly deported.

The IOM warned that a sharp decline in foreign aid, coupled with the rising volume of deportations, has severely limited its ability to assist returnees. The organisation said it has been able to provide support to only 3 percent of those sent back from Iran in recent weeks.

The surge in deportations comes amid growing international concern over the treatment of Afghan migrants in neighbouring countries and the worsening humanitarian crisis inside Afghanistan.

During a meeting in Ankara on Sunday, 29 June, the activists told UN Special Rapporteur Richard Bennett that women and girls in Afghanistan face systematic violations, including domestic violence, forced and child marriages, harassment, arbitrary arrest and torture. They said human-rights defenders, civil-society activists and journalists are also being targeted.

The group, which campaigns for human and women’s rights from outside Afghanistan, voiced additional concern over the recent surge in deportations of Afghan migrants from Iran, Pakistan and Türkiye, warning that returning women are at particular risk.

Bennett, the UN special rapporteur on the human-rights situation in Afghanistan, has previously reported that some impoverished families are marrying off daughters to avoid forced unions with Taliban members. He has said Afghan women now endure “multiple layers” of gender and ethnic discrimination.

The activists urged Bennett to push for stronger international mechanisms to document abuses and hold perpetrators to account, arguing that without sustained scrutiny, violations will continue with impunity.

The delegation, which departed for Doha on Saturday, includes representatives from the Taliban’s Ministries of Public Health, Interior, Foreign Affairs and Agriculture. They will participate in the third meeting of the Counter-Narcotics Working Group and the second meeting of the Private Sector Support Working Group.

The meetings are scheduled to take place on Monday and Tuesday, 30 June and 1 July 2025, and are part of ongoing efforts to address key issues in Afghanistan through international dialogue.

Qatar’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Alya Ahmed bin Saif Al-Thani, previously confirmed her country would host the meetings. She said the sessions would include representatives from the Taliban government, countries involved in the Doha Process, and international experts.

These working-level meetings follow the third official Doha Process conference, held last summer, which also saw participation from a Taliban delegation led by spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid.

In a recent statement, the Government of Qatar reiterated its commitment to Afghanistan’s future, emphasising its role in coordinating international efforts and facilitating dialogue between the UN, regional stakeholders, and the Taliban authorities.

The Doha Process, launched in the aftermath of the Taliban’s return to power in 2021, has re-emerged as a key diplomatic platform for regional and international engagement on Afghanistan.