An association of writers has urged the Pakistan government to immediately halt the mass deportation of Afghans. PEN International and over a dozen other bodies issued the call in a joint statement that voiced concern at the large-scale expulsions of Afghans from Pakistan. From April 1 to May 18, 55,865 Afghan nationals — 35,975 ACC More
US embassies and consulates around the globe have been directed to halt new student visa appointments, CNN reported on Wednesday. Amid plans to expand social media screening and vetting to all applicants for student visas, the State Department has issued the instructions in a diplomatic cable. Signed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the cable More
The Head of Iran’s Bureau for Aliens and Foreign Immigrant Affairs says more than four million Afghan refugees in Iran are considered illegal after the invalidation of census forms and they have until June 5 to leave the country. ISNA reported Iran’s BAFIA Director Naderyar Ahmadi as saying many Afghans had entered the country without More
The Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation (MoRR) says 52 more Afghan refugees have returned to their homeland after being released from prisons in Pakistan. These individuals returned to the country on May 25, the ministry announced in a brief post on its X handle on Monday. Citing Spin Boldak-based border officials in Kandahar, the ministry More
Ukrainian border forces have arrested eight Afghans while attempting to enter the country illegally via Belarus, a media report said on Saturday. Ukrainian border guards detained the Afghans in Rivne region. One of the migrants tried to escape but was arrested, UNN reported. It said the identities and circumstances of the offense were currently being More
More than 250,000 Afghans have returned from Pakistan and Iran, including about 107,000 who were deported between April 1 and April 30, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). In a statement, WHO said: “A crisis is unfolding at both major border points. The returning Afghans are exhausted, fearful, and traumatized as they face an More
The International Crisis Group (ICG) has called on the European Union (EU) and its member states to pressure Pakistan to stop the forcible expulsion of Afghan refugees, regardless of their legal status. In its Watch List 2025 – Spring Update, the ICG outlines ways the EU can help mitigate the impact of these expulsions. It More
Supporting the Afghans returning to their homeland from Pakistan, the UN’s refugee agency has voiced concern at funding cuts. Since September 2023, the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) says more than three million Afghans have returned to their homeland from neighbouring countries. These Afghans were either deported or left out of fear of arrest after More
Pakistan has expelled more than 1.3 million Afghan refugees in a deportation drive launched in November 2023, the Express Tribune reported. Parliamentary Secretary Mukhtar Ahmad Malik said around three million Afghan refugees were residing in Pakistan. “Of these, 813,000 hold Afghan Citizen Cards (ACC) while 1.3 million possess Proof of Registration (PoR) cards,” he was More
More than 128,000 Afghan returning refugees have been registered in just past 42 days, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said on Wednesday. The deadline set for the deportation of Afghan refugees in Pakistan expired on March 31. Now, Afghan families in large numbers are being forcibly deported from Pakistan on a daily basis. On More
