Spokesperson for the Ministry of Refugees: More than 123,000 refugees have entered the country in less than a month

Afghan Voice Agency (AVA)-Kabul: Abdul Muttalib Haqqani, spokesman for the Ministry of Refugees and Repatriates, in an interview with AVA, providing statistics on the latest status of refugee returns, announced that, this year, 123,800 people have returned to the country from neighboring countries. Of these, 82,461 were from Pakistan, 20,675 from Iran, and 710 from Turkey.

 

Referring to the increase in the deportation of refugees from various countries, Haqqani added that during the same period, about 2,212 Afghan prisoners were also released from Pakistani prisons and returned to the country through the Torkham and Spin Boldak crossings.

 

The spokesperson for the Ministry of Refugees emphasized the government's welcome of the returning compatriots, saying that the refugees will be transferred to their original areas after receiving cash, food and non-food assistance in the border areas.

 

This is while social affairs experts have criticized the current process of expelling refugees from Iran and Pakistan and believe that Afghanistan's capacity to accept this volume of refugees is limited.

 

In an interview with Ava, Ali Jan Sharifi, a social affairs expert, warned that the indiscriminate return of refugees in a short period of time could have adverse social and economic consequences. Referring to the poor economic situation and lack of sufficient job opportunities in Afghanistan, he called for careful planning and coordination with the Afghan government in the process of expelling refugees.

 

The process of expelling Afghan refugees has intensified while the authorities of the Islamic Emirate have announced their readiness to distribute land and resettle returning refugees.

 

It is worth mentioning that previously, a joint report by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the International Organization for Migration (IOM), and the World Bank had also expressed concern about the lack of living facilities for returnees to Afghanistan. The report, titled “Assessment of Urgent Needs of Afghan Returnees,” emphasized that the sudden return of these Afghans has raised concerns of the international community in terms of their basic needs.