The forced return of Afghan migrants from Pakistan via the Spin Boldak crossing in Kandahar province has seen a marked rise in recent days.
Officials in Spin Boldak report that these migrants are being sent to their respective home regions after receiving necessary assistance. In just the past three days, 100 families have been returned to Afghanistan through the Spin Boldak crossing.
Abdul Bari, the head of Borders, Tribes, and Ethnic Affairs in Kandahar, shared that even legal Afghan migrants are being expelled. “Pakistan has even expelled legal migrants. They [the Pakistanis] do not care about anything. Here, food, medicine, and shelter are provided for all migrants, and there are no issues,” he stated.
Abdul Latif Hakimi, the official in charge of registering expelled migrants in Spin Boldak, added that with the commencement of the second phase of deportations, Pakistan has expelled a large number of migrants. “More than 35 migrant families return daily via Spin Boldak, including a significant number of former prisoners,” he noted.
Several of the newly expelled migrants have reported being treated inhumanely by Pakistani forces. Ten-year-old Omid, who was born in Karachi, Sindh, and is now stepping onto Afghan soil for the first time, shared, “I came from Pakistan to my homeland to study here and serve my country.”
The newly returned migrants are currently staying in a temporary camp in Takhtapul district, Kandahar province. These migrants continue to recount their experiences of mistreatment by Pakistani forces.
For more updates and news on this situation, visit www.u.af.
