Taliban Allow Dozens Of Pakistani Students To Return Home

Pakistan’s Dawn newspaper reported that local officials at the Hamza Baba transit point in Landi Kotal said daily returns of Afghans had exceeded 10,000 after the government ordered all Afghan nationals to leave the country by July 10. According to the officials, the figure is nearly three times higher than in May and June.

Concern Over Women and Girls

Qaiser Khan Afridi, spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Pakistan, thanked Pakistan for hosting Afghan refugees for decades but stressed that no refugee should be returned to a country where their life or freedom would be at risk.

He said UNHCR was particularly concerned about women forced to return to a country where their human rights faced serious threats.

Afridi urged the Pakistani government to ensure that any returns of Afghan nationals were carried out on a voluntary, safe and dignified basis.

Fear of Arrest Drives Increase in Returns

Border officials in Landi Kotal and Torkham said fears of arrest and deportation had prompted thousands of Afghans, both documented and undocumented, to head towards the border crossings. They said the number of returnees was expected to rise further as Pakistan fully implements its deportation campaign.

According to UN figures, around 2.56 million Afghan nationals have returned to Afghanistan since Pakistan launched its campaign to expel undocumented foreigners in November 2023. Of those, about 260,000 were deported by Pakistan’s immigration authorities for lacking valid documents. Around 900,000 Afghan refugees and asylum seekers remain in Pakistan.

Call to Exempt Vulnerable Groups

UNHCR has called on Pakistan to exempt Afghans with urgent international protection needs from deportation. These include female heads of household, girls and women studying in Pakistani educational institutions, ethnic and religious minorities, human rights defenders, journalists, civil society activists, artists and members of the LGBTQ community.

Meanwhile, Pakistani local authorities said the deportation of Afghan nationals was continuing in an organised manner across different areas, including Lower Mohmand, under government supervision. Officials said that, in one recent case, several Afghan families were returned to Afghanistan after their identities were verified and exit documents were issued.

He had travelled to Faizabad for talks under guarantees provided by Taliban army chief Fasihuddin Fitrat.

No details of the talks or any agreement between the two sides have been released. However, Hurriyat Radio quoted Badakhshan Taliban governor Mohammad Ismail Ghaznavi as describing Fateh as a “committed and loyal” member of the Taliban who would remain with the group.

A video published by Hurriyat shows Fateh boarding a helicopter and bidding farewell to armed Taliban members. This came a day after the outlet dismissed reports of his transfer to Badakhshan’s provincial capital as “rumours” and “baseless”.

Fateh recently travelled to Faizabad under guarantees from Taliban army chief Fasihuddin Fitrat to discuss his disputes with the Taliban leadership. Sources say the disagreements centred on local appointments, efforts to disarm fighters loyal to him and the management of Badakhshan’s gold mines.

The Taliban’s order to prevent illegal gold mining has directly affected Fateh’s economic interests. The group has also sought to disarm his loyalists who do not hold official positions within the Taliban structure.

Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada had previously removed Fateh from his post as deputy governor of Zabul and planned to appoint him to a government position outside Badakhshan.

However, according to information obtained by Afghanistan International, Fateh rejected those proposals and refused to accept a post outside Badakhshan.

Sources said one of the positions offered to him was to head a Taliban intelligence department in Kabul, but Fateh also declined that role.

Speaking during an online event marking the 10th anniversary of the death of former jihadi commander Sayed Hussain Anwari, Massoud said narratives portraying the Taliban’s opponents as divided and fragmented were part of an effort to spread hopelessness among the Afghan people and the international community.

The National Resistance Front leader urged anti-Taliban groups and movements to remain alert to what he described as divisive narratives. He said: “We are not fragmented. We are united, cohesive and committed to shared principles and values.”

Referring to the public support enjoyed by several anti-Taliban figures, Massoud said that if free and genuine elections were held and people were able to vote freely, the Taliban would not be able to defeat established political figures with broad public backing.

He cited former Afghan vice-president Abdul Rashid Dostum as an example, saying: “Is it possible for Marshal Dostum to stand in an election and for a Taliban candidate to receive more votes than him? That is impossible.”

Responding to claims that there is no alternative to the Taliban administration, Massoud said the alternative was not an individual but a national and lawful political process.

According to him, that process would include the formation of a transitional government, the drafting of a constitution, the convening of a Loya Jirga and the holding of free elections to establish a legitimate government accepted by all Afghan citizens.

Afghanistan has faced deep political, security and social crises over the past five years. During this period, anti-Taliban groups and political figures living in exile have repeatedly called for the creation of an alternative political structure and a vision for Afghanistan’s future political system through conferences and political initiatives.

However, those efforts have yet to produce a broad, unified and influential coalition or any practical political alternative to the Taliban.

He faces a minimum sentence of 10 years and up to life imprisonment if convicted.

US authorities said the 52-year-old former Afghan general appeared before a federal court in Manhattan on Friday and was ordered to remain in custody pending trial.

Qadeer was arrested at a hotel in Nairobi, Kenya’s capital, on 15 April 2025. Kenya’s High Court approved his extradition in April this year.

He has been charged in a New York court with drug trafficking and firearms offences.

Qadir had previously said he travelled to Kenya for business purposes.

US Attorney Jay Clayton described Qadeer as an “international narcotics and military-grade weapons trafficker”.

According to Clayton, Qadeer is accused of attempting to traffic large quantities of narcotics and military weapons, including heavy machine guns and RPG launchers. He allegedly sold a two-kilograms test shipment of drugs to a buyer in South Africa.

The prosecutor said the buyer was, in fact, cooperating with the US Drug Enforcement Administration.

Acting US Attorney General Todd Blanche said in a statement that, while presenting himself as an Afghan political leader, Qadeer had allegedly led a criminal network involved in trafficking dangerous and addictive narcotics.

Qadeer has denied all the allegations, saying he has no criminal record, is a law-abiding citizen and currently leads several civil society, academic and political organisations in Afghanistan.

The Taliban had previously said it would seriously examine the case involving the former Afghan official and would take any necessary action if required.

Earlier, sources told Afghanistan International that a Taliban delegation had taken Fateh to Faizabad on Friday as part of efforts to resolve tensions in Badakhshan. According to the sources, Fateh agreed to the move after receiving what they described as “guarantees” from Taliban army chief Fasihuddin Fitrat.

Hurriyat Radio also reported on Friday that Fateh’s arrival in Badakhshan’s provincial capital had disproved what it described as media rumours that he had opposed the Taliban administration.

The Taliban-affiliated outlet described Fateh as a renowned guerrilla fighter against US forces and an important mujahideen commander in northern Afghanistan.

Tensions between Fateh and the Taliban leadership have intensified in recent weeks over efforts to disarm his loyalists, reduce his influence in Badakhshan, administrative appointments and control of the province’s gold mines.

Although previous Taliban efforts to resolve the dispute through negotiations failed, local sources earlier told Afghanistan International that Taliban army chief Fasihuddin Fitrat had travelled to Nusay district in Badakhshan for talks with Fateh.