Iranian authorities have announced that Afghan migrants holding valid residency documents will be permitted to leave designated camps, as part of a wider plan to manage the country’s foreign national population.
Majid Ahmadi, Director General for Foreign Nationals and Immigrants Affairs in Fars Province, confirmed the development, stating that those in possession of legal documentation such as Amayesh cards or valid passports will be allowed to exit the camps.
Ahmadi described the initiative as part of the most comprehensive migrant management plan implemented to date. He reported that nearly 42,000 undocumented foreign nationals have so far been deported from Fars Province to border areas, with over 99 percent identified as Afghan citizens.
In addition, Iranian authorities are working on a new employment regulation framework known as the “Kafeel” (Sponsor) scheme. The programme aims to formalise the employment status of foreign nationals residing in the country.
Ahmadi warned that hiring undocumented migrants constitutes a legal offence. He stressed that employers who violate the law will face legal consequences as part of the government’s enforcement measures.
British Defence Secretary John Healey has apologised after the personal information of thousands of Afghan nationals was leaked, potentially placing them at risk of Taliban retaliation.
The breach, which occurred in 2022, compromised the data of nearly 19,000 Afghans who had applied to relocate to the United Kingdom following the Taliban’s return to power. The previous Conservative government was informed of the breach in August 2023, nearly a year later, when portions of the sensitive data were discovered circulating on Facebook.
In response, the UK government launched a confidential relocation programme aimed at transferring at-risk individuals to safety. The operation, which began nine months after the breach, has so far brought approximately 4,500 Afghans to the UK. The programme was kept secret to avoid further exposure of sensitive information.
Details of the data breach were made public on Monday after a High Court judge lifted a publication ban. The leaked material included names, contact information, and family details of individuals potentially vulnerable to reprisals from the Taliban.
The UK Prime Minister’s Office has declined to say whether any official has faced disciplinary action over the incident. Meanwhile, the Metropolitan Police determined there were no grounds to pursue a criminal investigation.
According to the Ministry of Defence, around 600 former Afghan soldiers whose data was included in the breach remain in Afghanistan, along with an estimated 1,800 of their family members. While the confidential relocation programme is winding down, the government has pledged to honour all previous resettlement offers.
The programme has already cost the government £400 million, with future costs expected to range between £400 million and £450 million.
The breach was attributed to an unnamed Ministry of Defence official and is being described as an “error.” In addition to Afghan applicants, the data leak also affected British Members of Parliament and senior military personnel. Those impacted were officially notified on Tuesday, 15 July.
Speaking in the House of Commons, Defence Secretary Healey issued a public apology for the incident.
Relocation Scheme Cancelled Following Review
A review commissioned by the Ministry of Defence, the summary of which was released on Tuesday, revealed that by May 2025 more than 16,000 individuals affected by the breach had been relocated to the UK, many through pre-existing resettlement pathways.
The confidential relocation directive was issued in 2023 after concerns were raised that public disclosure of the breach could result in extrajudicial killings or severe violence against those named.
While initial figures cited nearly 19,000 affected individuals, the High Court’s summary judgment stated that the leaked dataset contained personal information for more than 33 individuals who had formally submitted relocation applications.
Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar has called for the revival of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation’s (SCO) Contact Group on Afghanistan.
He has emphasised that sustainable peace and stability in the country remains a shared objective for all member states.
Speaking at the SCO foreign ministers’ conference in China on Tuesday, Dar said that reactivating the contact group could provide a practical platform for results-oriented cooperation to support Afghanistan’s path to peace and development.
The SCO initially established the Contact Group in 2005 to deepen engagement in Afghan affairs, with several rounds of meetings held in China, Russia, and other member states. However, its activities have remained suspended for several years.
In 2018, SCO leaders again underscored the importance of resuming the group’s work. Since the Taliban’s return to power, however, Afghanistan’s participation in the SCO and other international mechanisms has been suspended.
Afghanistan had engaged with the SCO as a guest since 2004 and was granted observer status in 2012. Its involvement aimed to foster regional trust, strengthen cooperation with member and observer states, and build capacity to combat terrorism, extremism, and drug trafficking.
Addressing broader security concerns, Dar warned that terrorism continues to threaten global peace. He condemned all forms of terrorism, including state-sponsored violence, and urged countries to refrain from using terrorism to pursue political ends. He called for a cooperative and comprehensive approach to addressing the root causes of extremism.
Dar, who also serves as Pakistan’s deputy prime minister, noted that as the global order faces increasing instability, the SCO has emerged as a stabilising force. He praised the organisation’s inclusive approach, rooted in sovereign equality and the peaceful resolution of disputes, offering a constructive alternative to confrontation and zero-sum rivalries.
He concluded by reaffirming Pakistan’s commitment to peaceful and stable relations with all its neighbours.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has stressed the need for national consensus in Afghanistan and the inclusion of all ethnic and political groups in the country’s power structure.
His remarks came at the conclusion of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) foreign ministers’ summit held in China.
Lavrov said that nearly all SCO member states have strengthened bilateral relations with the Taliban, with the organisation maintaining a unified stance on the importance of an Afghanistan free from terrorism and drug trafficking.
He highlighted the necessity of providing effective support for Afghanistan’s reconstruction and long-term development as an independent, neutral, and peaceful state.
Russia has recently become one of the first major powers to formally recognise the Taliban regime. For the past four years, Moscow has consistently called on the Taliban to establish a more inclusive government.
Since returning to power, the Taliban has marginalised political and social groups, placing loyalists in key state positions. The group has accused former officials and ex-mujahideen leaders of cooperating with foreign forces, while continuing to assert that its government is inclusive.
Former Afghan President Hamid Karzai warned that the forced repatriation of Afghan migrants under current conditions would not resolve the migration crisis but could instead lead to "more serious threats."
In a statement posted on his official X account, Karzai pointed to Afghanistan's long history of forced displacement over the past four decades, including during the Soviet invasion, and highlighted concerns about a new wave of displacement currently emerging. He cautioned that compelling migrants to return amid Afghanistan’s ongoing internal crises could have dangerous consequences and create further instability.
Acknowledging the pressures faced by countries hosting large numbers of Afghan migrants, Karzai said that Afghans recognise the challenges associated with large-scale migration and understand the difficulties faced by host countries. However, he stressed that the deteriorating situation in Afghanistan has eliminated the conditions necessary for a safe return.
Karzai urged host governments, without naming specific nations, to reconsider decisions on mass deportations, taking into account Afghanistan’s internal challenges, including the continued closure of schools and universities for girls and the nation's severe economic crisis.
In recent months, neighbouring countries, particularly Iran and Pakistan, have increased the forced repatriation of Afghan migrants. Human rights organisations have simultaneously expressed growing concern over the legal, economic, and security risks facing returnees.
Roza Otunbayeva, the UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Afghanistan, has warned of the severe consequences stemming from the mass return of Afghan migrants and called for immediate international action to support deported individuals.
Speaking during a visit to the Islam Qala border crossing, Otunbayeva said the situation unfolding at Afghanistan’s frontiers is a direct result of the international community’s failure to uphold its responsibilities.
Otunbayeva urged the launch of a regional dialogue with countries such as Iran, Pakistan and the Central Asian republics to prevent further uncoordinated deportations. She underscored the importance of adhering to the principle of “voluntary, dignified and safe” repatriation.
According to the United Nations, more than 1.3 million Afghans have returned since the start of 2024, placing overwhelming pressure on impoverished local communities. Women and children, among the most vulnerable, face limited access to essential services, alongside significant economic hardship.
Otunbayeva warned that humanitarian operations in Afghanistan are facing critical funding shortages, forcing aid agencies to make difficult decisions between offering food, shelter or safe return support.
She called on donor nations and international organisations to accept shared responsibility for the crisis. “What we are witnessing are the direct consequences of unmet global responsibilities,” she said. “We must act now—with resources, with coordination, and with resolve.”
Otunbayeva stressed that Afghanistan’s stability depends on the active engagement of the global community, warning that indifference is not an option. “The cost of inaction will be measured in lives lost and conflicts reignited,” she said.
Her remarks come as Iran resumes large-scale deportations of Afghan migrants, following a recent ceasefire with Israel. Border crossings in Afghanistan’s Herat and Nimruz provinces have seen a dramatic surge in returnees, intensifying humanitarian concerns.
