Preparations at Torkham for New Wave of Deported Migrants from Pakistan
Mohammad Hashem Maiwandwal, the head of the Omari camp in Torkham township, has announced that comprehensive preparations have been made to accommodate Afghan migrants forcibly deported from Pakistan.
Authorities at the camp, located near the Torkham border crossing, are ready to provide essential services to returnees, including the potential installation of up to 5,000 tents to address an influx of returnees if needed. Maiwandwal emphasized, “If the number of returnees increases significantly, we are fully prepared to set up 5,000 tents to meet their needs.”Bukht Jamal Gohar, the migration transfer officer in Torkham, told Tolo News that the return process has been proceeding smoothly as of Tuesday, July 1, 2025. “The return of migrants is ongoing as normal, and we have not encountered any issues so far. All necessary facilities are available for returnees here,” Gohar stated.
The camp is equipped to provide immediate assistance, including shelter, food, and other essentials, to ensure the basic needs of deportees are met upon their arrival.However, the situation for Afghan migrants in Pakistan remains dire, according to returnees.
Many describe being forcibly expelled without the opportunity to collect their belongings or settle outstanding debts. Sada Gul, a recently deported migrant, shared his ordeal with Tolo News: “All our belongings were left behind in Pakistan—our clothes, our debts.
I owe around six or seven lakh [Pakistani rupees] to people there. They told us to leave immediately.” Other returnees echoed similar experiences, noting that Pakistani police expelled them without providing any resources, leaving them to cross the border empty-handed.Returnees like Karimullah, who arrived in Afghanistan with no place to go, urged the caretaker government and aid organizations to provide comprehensive support. “We have returned to Afghanistan, but we have no place to live. We don’t know where to go. Those without land or shelter should be provided with land,” Karimullah said.
Another deportee, Lal Pacha, lamented, “We had a shop in Pakistan. Everything we owned was left behind, and we were forced out.”The plight of Afghan migrants has drawn international attention. Recently, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) for Afghanistan told Tolo News that discussions are underway with Pakistan and Iran to halt the forced deportation of Afghan migrants. The UNHCR emphasized that any return process should be voluntary, dignified, and respectful of human rights.
As the number of deportees continues to rise, the situation underscores the urgent need for coordinated humanitarian efforts to support vulnerable Afghan returnees.
