Over 96,000 Afghan migrants returned to country in one month

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Kabul: The Taliban-led Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation has said that more than 96,000 migrants from Iran, Pakistan, and Turkey have returned to Afghanistan in a month, according to TOLOnews.

The ministry noted that assistance has been provided to all returnees.

"In the month of Dalw (January), 96,490 migrants came from Pakistan, Iran, and Turkey. We have committees, at the borders they are given travel allowances, food and non-food assistance, and winter clothes, and they are transferred to their original provinces [states].

Each family is given ten thousand in cash assistance," said Abdul Rahman Rashid, the deputy minister of the Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation, according to TOLOnews.

Concurrently, some of the repatriated migrants are requesting that the Taliban provide them with employment possibilities.

Payinda discussed the challenges of migration after returning to the nation with his seven-member family from Pakistan.

"They would rob us of our money. We came to Afghanistan because we were unable to travel freely or visit the doctor," he remarked. Millions of people have been compelled to flee the nation due to the hostilities of recent years.

"They took my husband, and later my husband called to say that he had been imprisoned, after four days I went and said give us three days, we will leave from here," said Nazanin, one of the returnees from Iran.

"The government should provide job opportunities so that no one goes back to Iran again and all of us can progress our lives in our homeland," another returnee, Khairudin said, according to TOLOnews.

The World Food Programme (WFP) has raised an alarm regarding the plight of Afghan migrants forcibly expelled from Pakistan, revealing that they are currently resorting to borrowing money merely to survive.

Highlighting the grim situation, the WFP emphasised that Afghan migrants find themselves compelled to borrow funds for survival, devoid of any facilities or support. The organisation's website underscores that the majority of expelled migrants are currently in a state of confusion, as reported by Khaama Press.

Expressing deep concern, the World Food Programme stated that some returning migrants are still grappling with hunger, identifying a critical need for food assistance.

According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the continuous return of Afghan refugees from neighbouring countries is closely related to the rising inflation and lack of employment opportunities in the host countries. According to existing reports, roughly six million Afghan migrants currently live in Iran, Turkey and Pakistan.

Since the Taliban's return to power in August 2021, thousands of Afghans fled Afghanistan to the neighbouring countries fearing persecution and death threats. The majority of these people entered host countries through illegal channels, now facing serious problems including forceful deportation and imprisonment.