Full Breakdown
Surge in Afghan Returns as Pakistan Enforces July 10 Deadline
7/12/2026, 11:40:36 AM
Surge in Daily Returns
Local officials at the Hamza Baba transit point in Landi Kotal reported that daily departures of Afghan nationals have risen to over 10,000, a figure nearly three times higher than in May and June. The spike follows Pakistan’s order that all Afghans on its soil must leave by July 10, 2026. Border posts at Landi Kotal and Torkham say fears of arrest and deportation are prompting both documented and undocumented Afghans to flock to the crossings.
Background & Context
Pakistan launched the Illegal Foreigners Repatriation Plan (IFRP) in November 2023. UN data indicate that approximately 2.56 million Afghans have been returned since the plan began, including 260,000 deportations for lacking valid travel documents. Despite the mass movement, about 900,000 Afghan refugees and asylum seekers remain in Pakistan.
Official Statements & Responses
UNHCR spokesperson Qaiser Khan Afridi thanked Pakistan for decades of hosting refugees but warned that “no refugee should be returned to a country where their life or freedom would be at risk.” He emphasized heightened concern for women whose human-rights situation is precarious. Assistant commissioner Nauman Pervaiz of Lower Mohmand said the repatriation of six Afghan families was “carried out in an organised and transparent manner in accordance with the government’s policy for undocumented foreign nationals residing in Pakistan.”
Criticism & Opposition
UNHCR has urged Pakistan to exempt vulnerable groups—female heads of household, girls and women in education, ethnic and religious minorities, human-rights defenders, journalists, artists, and transgender individuals—from any forced return, citing the risk of refoulement. The agency stresses that returns must be voluntary, safe and dignified, warning that women forced back to Afghanistan could face serious threats to their rights and freedoms.
Verbatim Quotes
- “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.” — Qaiser Khan Afridi, UNHCR spokesperson, Pakistan
- “He said UNHCR was particularly concerned about women forced to return to a country where their human rights faced serious threats.” — Qaiser Khan Afridi
- “The UNHCR has appealed to the government of Pakistan to exempt Afghans with continued international protection needs from voluntary return, especially those facing refoulement risks, including profiles such as female heads of households, women and girls enrolled in educational institutions in Pakistan, individuals from ethnic and religious minorities, human rights defenders, journalists.” — UNHCR statement
- “Lower Mohmand assistant commissioner Nauman Pervaiz said the repatriation process was carried out in an organised and transparent manner in accordance with the government’s policy for undocumented foreign nationals residing in Pakistan.” — Nauman Pervaiz, assistant commissioner, Lower Mohmand
