1.4. Treatment of persons returning from abroad

Table of contents

1.4.1. General conditions

For decades446 Afghans have been fleeing their homeland, primarily to neighbouring Pakistan and Iran,447 and in periods, significant portions of the Afghan population have lived as refugees abroad.448 Each powershift in Afghanistan has triggered new emigration waves, as well as voluntary and forced returns from neighbouring states.449

Following the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan, both Pakistan and Iran initiated repatriation plans leading to ‘large numbers of forced and coerced returns’450 of Afghans residing on their territory.451 As of September 2025, nearly 6 million people had returned from Pakistan and Iran since the Taliban takeover.452 In 2025 alone (as of November) almost 2.7 million Afghans returned from these countries, according to UNHCR.453 Sources noted that many Afghans have been forced or felt compelled to return ‘because of threats, harassment and intimidation’,454 ‘abusive tactics’ and other pressure.455

Pakistan began their three-phase ‘Illegal Foreigners Repatriation Plan’ in October 2023. The first phase targeted undocumented Afghans,456 and led to the return of over 468 000 people in October–December 2023.457 The second phase included registered individuals (Afghan Citizen Card (ACC) holders),458 who were to leave voluntarily by 31 March 2025 or face deportation as of 1 April 2025.459 According to UNHCR, more than 483 700 Afghans returned in the period 1 April–September 2025.460 Amid the plan’s resumption in April 2025, Pakistan announced that the third face would be initiated, in which also recognised refugees (Proof of Registration (PoR) card holders) would be repatriated461 as of 1  September 2025.462 According to IOM and UNHCR, over 1.6 million people had returned to Afghanistan from Pakistan since the initiation of the repatriation scheme as of 18 October 2025, including over 8 000 recognised refugees (PoR card holders) being deported.463 Amid armed cross-border clashes between de facto and Pakistani security forces, Pakistan intensified efforts to repatriate Afghans, including ‘escalating police raids’.464

Iran has also been repatriating Afghans in recent years465 and scaled up the intensity of deportations in 2025 (particular in June–July following Israeli attacks against Iran).466 This coincided with an exit deadline for unregistered Afghans. According to an IOM representative, an unmanageable number of 30 000–40 000 people crossed the border to Afghanistan from Iran every day in July 2025.467 Returning Afghans indicated that they were feeling ‘unsafe’ in Iran,468 and there were reports of increased harassment by Iranian authorities accusing Afghans of collaborating with Israel469 and a general hostility pushing Afghans to leave.470 According to UNCHR, 1.8 million people returned from Iran in 2025, as of 29 November.471

The Afghan de facto authorities have previously called on Afghans to stay in the country,472 and have called on Afghans residing abroad to return to Afghanistan.473 As the US issued an entry ban on Afghan citizens in June 2025, the Afghan de facto Prime Minister reiterated the general amnesty issued after the Taliban takeover,474 and stated that all who fled amid the collapse of the former government were free to return under safe conditions.475 The de facto authorities have responded to the large-scale returns by providing returnees with registration and national identity cards, medical care, cash grants,476 shelter, SIM cards, and transport to their destinations.477 According to an anonymous source interviewed by ACCORD in September 2024, some returnees have faced physical violence at the border by the de facto authorities, in particular women and children.478 Sources interviewed by the Swiss State Secretariat for Migration (SEM), on the contrary, did not indicate that the de facto authorities were conducting arrests or abusing returnees at air or land border crossings. Instead, most sources indicated returnees were generally treated well and were not subjected to abuse solely on the basis of being returnees.479 Two surveys on the situation of returnees in Afghanistan, carried out by the UNCHR and the Mixed Migration Centre (MMC), respectively, found that 98 % of respondents had not ‘experienced physical security issues in their communities/villages’,480 and 80 % felt safe and secure.481 There was a gender discrepancy in MCC’s survey, however, where only 15 % of women indicated that there were no specific risks making them feel unsafe of insecure, in contrast to 66 % among men. In MCC’s survey 9 % among male respondents and 6 % among female respondents feared human rights violations and abuses in Afghanistan, and the MMC stressed that their aggregated data may conceal individuals belonging to vulnerable groups.482 In UNHCR’s survey, 1.6 % indicated that they had been feeling unsafe, and cited issues such as disputes of land, property, and water as well as kidnapping and an ‘unwelcoming attitudes in the community’.483 UNAMA identified several profiles exposed to human rights violations upon being involuntarily returned to Afghanistan return, including women and girls, former government officials, civil society activists, human rights defenders, journalists and musicians.484 More information on these profiles is provided in chapter 4. Treatment of certain profiles and groups of the population and section 1.2.7(e) Music.

The significant influx of returnees has put additional strain on the precarious humanitarian situation in Afghanistan,485 already facing limited resources,486 lack of basic services, and recurring climate shocks.487 Most returnees arrive with no assets,488 and many have never set foot in Afghanistan,489 as they have been living abroad for generations.490 These people tend to lack a social network in Afghanistan,491 while having a social network is of great importance in Afghan society492 in the absence of a social welfare state.493 Having a network is vital for returnees to reintegrate,494 and to secure a job.495 MMC reported that returnees lacking a network may be perceived as foreigners, and that individuals returning from the region as well as from Europe may face discrimination and struggle to fit in, due to deviating accents, clothing, and behaviour.496 Sharan also described how returnees without a network face significant exclusion and lack of safety, including those settling in urban areas instead of their areas of origin. He also noted that some families could struggle to readapt due to their way of dressing and having more liberal attitudes.497

Amid a major continuing humanitarian crisis in the country, returnees in general face very limited job prospects498 or no job prospects at all.499 They struggle to secure an income500 and permanent housing and shelter.501 Many do not return to their areas of origin since they lack property or land,502 and due to limited job opportunities and basic services.503 Instead, they tend to settle in cities.504 Some returnees may be facing disputes over land and property in their area of origin,505 since other families may have been living in their houses for generations or their land may have been confiscated.506 Women-headed households are particularly vulnerable, facing limitations in accessing housing and shelter, which exposes them to gender-based violence and exploitation.507 Another key issue faced by returnees is insufficient aid.508 Host communities struggle to support returnees due to limited resources, leaving returnee populations struggling economically.509 The general cuts to funding in the humanitarian sector have also adversely impacted the support to returnees.510 More information on this topic is available in section 3. Humanitarian situation.

  • 446

    Strand, A., Refugee Protection Is Being Eroded, PRIO, 2 February 2024, url; UK, House of Commons Library, Expulsion of Afghans from Pakistan and Iran, 8 December 2023, url

  • 447

    UK, House of Commons Library, Expulsion of Afghans from Pakistan and Iran, 8 December 2023, url

  • 448

    Britannica, Afghanistan, Demographic trends, 7 October 2025, url

  • 449

    Strand, A., Refugee Protection Is Being Eroded, PRIO, 2 February 2024, url

  • 450

    UNHCR, Afghanistan situation, [2025], url

  • 451

    UNHCR, Afghanistan emergency, [2025], url; FEWS NET, Despite harvest, drought and returnee influx, drive food security concerns, July 2025, url

  • 452

    WFP, A lifeline at risk: food assistance at a breaking point, September 2025, url, p. 7

  • 453

    UNHCR, Afghanistan situation, [2025], url

  • 454

    UN OHCHR, Afghanistan: Returns of Afghans creating multi-layered human rights crisis, 18 July 2025, url

  • 455

    HRW, Pakistan: Forced Returns Expose Afghans to Persecution, Destitution, 19 March 2025, url

  • 456

    Dawn, Govt decides to evict over 1M foreigners illegally residing in Pakistan: state media, 2 October 2023, url; International Crisis Group, Pakistan’s mass deportation of Afghans poses risk to regional stability, 13 November 2023, url; IOM and UNHCR, UNHCR-IOM, Flash update #4, arrest and detention, flow monitoring, (15 September – 04 November 2023), 8 November 2023, url, p. 1

  • 457

    AI, Pakistan: 1.4 million Afghan refugees at risk of deportation, 24 June 2025, url

  • 458

    AI, Pakistan: 1.4 million Afghan refugees at risk of deportation, 24 June 2025, url

  • 459

    UNHCR, Returns emergency Response, 11 July 2025, url, p. 1

  • 460

    UNHCR, Pakistan - Afghanistan: Returns Emergency Response #42 (as of 4 September 2025), 5 September 2025, url

  • 461

    UNHCR, UNHCR urges Pakistan to exempt Afghans with international protection needs from involuntary return, 5 August 2025, url; Dawn, Govt to begin repatriation of 1.3m Afghan PoR holders from Sept 1, 6 August 2025, url

  • 462

    Dawn, Govt to begin repatriation of 1.3m Afghan PoR holders from Sept 1, 6 August 2025, url

  • 463

    IOM and UNHCR, UNHCR-IOM Flash Update #65, 11 October 2025, url, p. 2

  • 464

    DW, Pakistan ramps up Afghan migrant crackdown after clashes, 3 November 2025, url

  • 465

    VOA, Taliban: Pakistan, Iran expelled over 400,000 Afghan refugees so far in 2024, 10 June 2024, url

  • 466

    UN Women, Gender Alert: Gendered Needs and Challenges of Afghans Returning from Iran and Pakistan (June 2025), 1 July 2025, url, p. 1; DW, Why are Afghan migrants and refugees being forced to flee Iran?, 2 August 2025, url; BBC News, Iran drives out 1.5 million Afghans, with some branded spies for Israel, 1 August 2025, url

  • 467

    Tagesschau, Regierung führt Gespräche mit Taliban, 14 September 2025, url

  • 468

    UN Women, Gender Alert: Gendered Needs and Challenges of Afghans Returning from Iran and Pakistan (June 2025), 1 July 2025, url, p. 2

  • 469

    DW, Why are Afghan migrants and refugees being forced to flee Iran?, 2 August 2025, url

  • 470

    New Humanitarian (The), Afghans say they were scapegoated in Iran during Israeli bombardment, 4 August 2025, url

  • 471

    UNHCR, Afghanistan situation, [2025], url

  • 472

    EUAA, Afghanistan – Country Focus, December 2024, url, p. 97

  • 473

    TRT World, Taliban urges Afghans to ‘return to your country’ after new US travel ban, 7 June 2025, url; Bakhtar News Agency, Delawar Called on All Afghan Political Figures to Return Home, 21 May 2022, url; TOLOnews, Afghan UN Mission Announces It Will Host Gathering, 14 May 2022, url; TOLOnews, Anas Haqqani Calls on Unqualified Officials to Step Down, 27 December 2021, url; TOLOnews, At Hajj Ceremony, Official Calls for Brotherly Intl Relations, 12 June 2022, url; Ariana News, Defense ministry urges Afghan military students abroad to return home, 15 February 2022, url

  • 474

    TRT World, Taliban urges Afghans to ‘return to your country’ after new US travel ban, 7 June 2025, url

  • 475

    AP, The Taliban leader slams Trump’s travel ban on Afghans and calls the US an ‘oppressor’, 7 June 2025, url

  • 476

    UNAMA, No safe heaven: Human rights risks faced by persons involuntarily returned to Afghanistan, July 2025, url, p. 4

  • 477

    ACAPS, Afghanistan, Spotlight on social impact (October 2023 to February 2024), 25 April 2024, url, p. 2

  • 478

    ACCORD, Afghanistan: Report on the impact of the Taliban’s information practices and legal policies, particularly on women and girls, February 2025, url, p. 85

  • 479

    Switzerland, SEM, Focus Afghanistan, Return from abroad, 14 February 2025, url, p. 35

  • 480

    UNHCR, Post-Return Monitoring Report, 30 October 2024, url, p. 43

  • 481

    MMC, Afghan returns: experiences, challenges and prospects for reintegration, August 2025, url, p. 28

  • 482

    MMC, Afghan returns: experiences, challenges and prospects for reintegration, August 2025, url, pp. 28–29

  • 483

    UNHCR, Post-Return Monitoring Report, 30 October 2024, url, p. 42

  • 484

    UNAMA, No safe heaven: Human rights risks faced by persons involuntarily returned to Afghanistan, July 2025, url, p. 4

  • 485

    UNHCR, Afghan Returns from Iran and Pakistan Emergency Update #12, 3 October 2025, url

  • 486

    IOM, Nearly 110,000 Afghans Returned from Pakistan in a Month; IOM Seeks Urgent Funding, 6 May 2025, url

  • 487

    UNAMA, International Community Must Act Now, 1 Million Returning Afghans in 2025, 26 June 2025, url

  • 488

    UNAMA, International Community Must Act Now, 1 Million Returning Afghans in 2025, 26 June 2025, url; Tagesschau, Regierung führt Gespräche mit Taliban, 14 September 2025, url; NRC, Afghanistan: Humanitarian response overstretched as more than 1 million Afghans return from Iran, 10 July 2025, url; TOLOnews, Deported Afghans Face Hardship After Returning Empty-Handed from Iran, 9 October 2025, url

  • 489

    UN Women, Gender Alert: Gendered Needs and Challenges of Afghans Returning from Iran and Pakistan (June 2025), 1 July 2025, url, p. 4; International Crisis Group, Pakistan-Afghanistan: Tempering the Deportation Drive, 22 May 2025, url

  • 490

    Bjelica, J. and Sabawoon, A. M., Returning from Pakistan: How are Afghan returnees coping back in their homeland?, AAN, 29 September 2024, url

  • 491

    UN News, ‘The real challenge is still ahead’: UN warns on Afghan returnees, 8 August 2025, url; Switzerland, SEM, Focus Afghanistan, Return from abroad, 14 February 2025, url, pp. 29, 42

  • 492

    Schuster, L., in: DRC, Afghanistan conference, The Human Rights Situation after August 2021, 28 November 2022, url, p. 47; Afghan analyst, interview, 25 April 2024; UNHCR, Protection Interventions for Afghan Returnees from Pakistan (April 2024 to December 2025), 22 May 2024, url, pp. 1, 7; de Jong, S., online interview, 30 October 2025; Sharan, T., email, 27 November 2025

  • 493

    Bertelsmann Stiftung, BTI 2024 Country Report, Afghanistan, 19 March 2024, url, p. 27

  • 494

    MMC, Afghan returns: experiences, challenges and prospects for reintegration, August 2025, url, p. 33; Sharan, email, 27 November 2025

  • 495

    Afghan analyst, interview, 25 April 2024; UN Women, Gender Alert: Gendered Needs and Challenges of Afghans Returning from Iran and Pakistan (June 2025), 1 July 2025, url, p. 4

  • 496

    MMC, Afghan returns: experiences, challenges and prospects for reintegration, August 2025, url, pp. 33–34

  • 497

    Sharan, T., email, 27 November 2025

  • 498

    Bjelica, J. and Sabawoon, A. M., Returning from Pakistan: How are Afghan returnees coping back in their homeland?, AAN, 29 September 2024, url

  • 499

    UNAMA, International Community Must Act Now, 1 Million Returning Afghans in 2025, 26 June 2025, url

  • 500

    Switzerland, SEM, Focus Afghanistan, Return from abroad, 14 February 2025, url, p. 29

  • 501

    UN Women, Gender Alert: Gendered Needs and Challenges of Afghans Returning from Iran and Pakistan (June 2025), 1 July 2025, url, p. 3

  • 502

    Bjelica, J. and Sabawoon, A. M., Returning from Pakistan: How are Afghan returnees coping back in their homeland?, AAN, 29 September 2024, url

  • 503

    UNHCR, Post-Return Monitoring Report, 30 October 2024, url, p. 9

  • 504

    Byrd, W., Where Does Afghanistan Stand After Four Years of Taliban Rule?, Lawfare, 21 August 2025, url

  • 505

    ACAPS, Afghanistan, Land conflicts and humanitarian action: a conflict sensitivity perspective, 26 July 2023, url, p. 1; Moradi, K., “Throwing Dust in Our Eyes”: Nomadic-Sedentary Land Conflict in Hazarjat under the Taliban and its Human Rights Impacts, RWI, 31 May 2025, url, p. 43

  • 506

    ACCORD, Afghanistan: Report on the impact of the Taliban’s information practices and legal policies, particularly on women and girls, February 2025, url, p. 85; See also: UN-Habitat, It all starts at home, Strategic Priorities for UN-Habitat Afghanistan 2026–2027, June 2025, url, p. 12

  • 507

    UN Women, Gender Alert: Gendered Needs and Challenges of Afghans Returning from Iran and Pakistan (June 2025), 1 July 2025, url, p. 3

  • 508

    Bjelica, J. and Sabawoon, A. M., Returning from Pakistan: How are Afghan returnees coping back in their homeland?, AAN, 29 September 2024, url

  • 509

    UN OCHA, Afghanistan: Humanitarian Update, April 2024, 2 July 2024, url

  • 510

    UNAMA, International Community Must Act Now, 1 Million Returning Afghans in 2025, 26 June 2025, url