Two Afghan Interpreters Face Deportation From US Despite Legal Immigration Status

According to the sources, the visit, originally scheduled for Monday, 4 August, has been delayed due to unspecified “technical issues.” Muttaqi had been expected to travel to Islamabad for a three-day visit.

Pakistan’s Foreign Minister, Ishaq Dar, had extended the invitation during his official trip to Kabul in April.

Earlier reports in Pakistani media indicated that Muttaqi was scheduled to meet with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, and other senior officials to discuss key political, economic, and security matters.

No new date for the visit has been announced.

At a high-level meeting on Saturday, 2 August, officials reviewed the deportation process for Afghan migrants. Vahid Golikani, head of the General Directorate for Foreign Nationals and Migrant Affairs in Tehran province, said that “Afghan migrants with legal documents are not permitted to travel to restricted provinces, and selling tickets or transporting them to these areas is illegal.”

He warned transportation companies against selling tickets or transporting Afghan nationals to provinces where their presence is prohibited, stressing that violations would be met with legal consequences.

According to Iran’s Ministry of Interior, Afghan migrants, documented or undocumented, are banned from residing in or travelling to 15 provinces, including East Azerbaijan, West Azerbaijan, Ardabil, Zanjan, Kurdistan, Kermanshah, Ilam, Lorestan, Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari, Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad, North Khorasan, Gilan, Mazandaran, Sistan and Baluchistan, Khuzestan, and Hamedan.

Golikani stated that the deportation of undocumented migrants requires full coordination between agencies and should only occur after proper registration through designated detention and processing centres. He added that unauthorised removals pose significant legal and humanitarian challenges.

He also announced that Afghan nationals wishing to return voluntarily must register at the Khavaran Return Centre. Once repatriated, they are not permitted to re-enter Iran.

Hamidreza Rahmani, head of Iran’s Terminals and Transportation Organisation, reiterated that undocumented Afghans are not allowed to work in passenger transport services, commercial stalls, or as contractors. He said that security forces are actively monitoring bus terminals to prevent the sale of tickets to Afghan migrants and to ensure continued coordination among agencies to maintain public order.

Iran enforces some of the strictest restrictions on Afghan migrants in the region. Authorities have previously directed employers not to hire Afghans and instructed landlords not to rent property to them.

According to the Taliban, nearly two million Afghans have been forcibly deported from Iran in the past three months alone.

Speaking at a weekly press briefing, Shafqat Ali Khan, spokesperson for Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said the issue of cross-border terrorism remains central in ongoing diplomatic discussions with the Taliban administration in Kabul.

Khan stated that groups such as the TTP and BLA, both designated as terrorist organisations by Pakistan, are operating from Afghan territory and receiving external support. He said they have credible evidence that these groups receive support from within Afghanistan and that Pakistan has repeatedly raised the issue with Afghan authorities.

The Foreign Ministry spokesperson also alleged that India has played a role in backing Baloch militants, asserting that there is documented evidence of Indian support for the group’s activities.

According to Khan, Pakistan expects the Taliban to take effective measures to prevent militant groups from using Afghan soil to launch attacks inside Pakistan.

His comments echo concerns raised by United Nations experts, who have previously reported that the TTP, with an estimated 6,000 fighters, benefits from significant operational and logistical backing from the Taliban in Afghanistan. The UN also cited internal divisions within the Taliban leadership, with some figures pushing for a reduction in support for the TTP to improve relations with neighbouring countries.

UN assessments have warned that Afghanistan remains a safe haven for various transnational terrorist groups. The UN Security Council’s monitoring team reported that the presence of ISIS–Khorasan (ISIS-K) poses the most serious regional and international threat, while al-Qaeda continues to offer ideological and weapons training to other militant organisations in the region.

The Taliban has rejected the UN’s findings, with a deputy spokesperson calling the reports “propaganda” and denying the presence of ISIS or other terrorist groups operating in Afghanistan.

Nevertheless, the UN has said that some member states have reported close cooperation between the BLA, including its Majeed Brigade, and the TTP in parts of southern Afghanistan. One state cited intelligence indicating that the two groups operate at least four shared training camps, including in Kandahar’s Shah Wali Kot and Shorabak districts, with al-Qaeda providing support and training.

Osman Salari, deputy head of Iran’s parliamentary Legal Commission, said on Saturday that the commission is reviewing a new bill aimed at combating human and organ trafficking. Under the proposed legislation, the Fund for the Compensation of Bodily Injuries will be barred from paying diyah (blood money) or damages to undocumented migrants injured in road incidents.

According to Fars News Agency, affiliated with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the Islamic Republic previously covered such compensation when insurance providers refused to pay. In those cases, the government would issue blood money payments on behalf of undocumented Afghan migrants.

Under current law, the compensation fund is required to pay damages to the families of undocumented foreigners who are injured or killed in accidents. However, Fars claims that in many cases, lawyers exploited the system securing payments on behalf of unidentifiable or fictitious victims and pocketing most of the money while giving only a small portion to real or fabricated families.

The report states that the fund’s ongoing efforts have successfully pressured lawmakers to end this practice.

Iranian officials commonly refer to undocumented Afghan migrants as “foreign nationals” or “undocumented foreigners.” The country hosts one of the largest Afghan refugee populations in the world, many of whom live without legal residency status.

Tensions over Afghan migrants in Iran have escalated in recent years. A recent video widely circulated on social media drew public outrage after showing two Iranian men chasing a teenage Afghan cyclist in the southern city of Bandar Abbas.

In the footage, one man urges the driver to “run him over,” saying: “Afghans don’t get blood money,” while shouting racist abuse. The video has further fuelled criticism over Iran’s treatment of Afghan migrants and raised concerns about rising xenophobia and the potential consequences of the proposed legal changes.

Speaking at a conference on Saturday titled Assessment of the Environmental Situation in the Northern Zone, Khalis highlighted the escalating impact of climate change and environmental degradation across the country. The event, held in Mazar-e-Sharif, was attended by Taliban officials from Balkh province, as well as representatives of national and international organisations and environmental activists.

According to a statement from the agency, participants described Afghanistan as one of the most climate-vulnerable countries in the world, citing the intensifying effects of droughts, desertification, and dwindling water resources.

Noorul Hadi Abu Idris, the Taliban’s deputy governor for Balkh, noted that approximately 75 percent of the land in the north, west, and south is being affected by desertification. He warned that recurring droughts and the rapid depletion of natural resources have significantly reduced agricultural productivity and damaged ecosystems.

Khalis cited conflict, soil erosion, deforestation, rising temperatures, and over-extraction of groundwater as the main drivers of environmental decline. He stressed that the situation poses serious threats to food security and livelihoods, and urged the global community to prioritise Afghanistan in climate-related aid and environmental policy.

Afghanistan ranks among the ten countries most severely affected by climate change, grappling with extreme weather events such as droughts, floods, rainfall, and water scarcity.

Earlier this year, the International Organization for Migration reported that nearly five million people across Afghanistan were impacted by widespread flooding and avalanches in early 2025. The International Committee of the Red Cross also warned that groundwater levels in many parts of the country particularly in Kabul are dropping at an alarming rate.