10,000 Afghan Prisoners Transferred From Iran, Pakistan, Says Taliban

The Taliban’s Ministry of Refugees says nearly 10,000 Afghan prisoners were released from detention in Iran and Pakistan over the past year and transferred back to Afghanistan.

Mahmood-ul-Haq Ahadi, head of policy and planning at the ministry, told a press conference on Wednesday that a total of 9,951 Afghans were repatriated, including 9,541 from Pakistan,most of whom were detained for lacking legal residency documents, and 410 from Iran on various criminal charges.

Ahadi added that efforts to secure the release of other Afghan nationals imprisoned in Iran and Pakistan are ongoing.

In mid-April, a spokesperson for the Taliban’s foreign ministry said approximately 12,000 Afghan citizens remain in detention across Pakistan, Iran, and Türkiye.

Mass Deportation of Migrants from Neighbouring Countries

Kaleem-ur-Rahman Fani, deputy minister for finance and administration at the Ministry of Refugees, said during the ministry’s annual review that migration remains a global challenge and that Afghanistan is among the countries with the highest refugee populations.

He referenced the formation of a high-level commission composed of representatives from 22 ministries and agencies to address the growing issue of Afghan migrants.

“Recently, neighbouring countries Pakistan and Iran have begun the forced deportation of Afghan migrants in clear violation of international norms,” Fani said.

According to the ministry, Iran has expelled at least 1.8 million Afghan migrants in the past three months. During the same period, 184,459 Afghans were forcibly returned from Pakistan.

The Taliban administration has repeatedly criticised the mass deportations, while international organisations have expressed concern over Afghanistan's limited capacity to absorb and reintegrate such large numbers of returnees.