The International Organization for Migration (IOM) has recently announced that thousands of Afghan citizens have been forced to leave Pakistan, and most of the returning women and children are vulnerable.
In a message posted today (Monday, May 19) on its X (formerly Twitter) account, the IOM stated that its teams are present on the ground, providing food aid, cash assistance, health services, psychosocial support, and protection services.
The statement adds that half of the returnees depend on humanitarian aid.
Moreover, the IOM stated last Wednesday that over the past month, 128,000 Afghans have returned from Pakistan to their homeland.
This comes as, according to Bakhtar News Agency, which is under the control of the interim government, 378 Afghan families returned from Pakistan and Iran on Friday.
Pakistan, which has long hosted one of the largest populations of Afghan refugees, has decided to expel undocumented migrants amid deteriorating bilateral relations with the current Afghan government and increasing security concerns.
However, domestic political and economic challenges, with long-term impacts on social stability, have added further difficulties for returning migrants and Afghan society.
It should be noted that Pakistan has initiated the second phase of forced deportations of Afghan migrants for nearly two months now, during which thousands of Afghan citizens have been forcibly returned to Afghanistan.
Meanwhile, returning migrants have also spoken of mistreatment, abuse, and inhumane behavior by Pakistani police.
