Over 200,000 migrants have been deported in under a month as the crackdown shows no sign of slowing down.
Afghan refugees at the border with Iran (Image: Getty)
Afghan refugees living in Iran say they are facing an increasingly difficult situation as the government continues its brutal crackdown on migrants. Tehran has so far deported some 1.5 million Afghans this year, claiming it lacks the resources to accommodate them.
Many refugees fled Afghanistan following the return of the Taliban to power in August 2021, amid a chaotic withdrawal of NATO troops under US President Joe Biden. The refugees sought sanctuary in Pakistan and Turkey, as well as Iran, fearing severe reprisals and repression from the Taliban government. However, Afghans living in Pakistan and Iran report an increasingly hostile environment, as they come under pressure to return home.
Afghan refugees await deportation from Pakistan (Image: Getty)
Morteza Nazari – an Afghan migrant in Iran – revealed the extents to which Tehran is going to make life difficult for his compatriots.
“The government has announced that no jobs should be given to migrants,” he told the Ani News.
“Another problem is that the children of migrants are no longer being admitted to schools. Also bank cards and SIM cards belonging to migrants have been deactivated.”
The pace of deportations shows no sign of slowing, with over 284,000 Afghans deported from the three countries in under a month.
A spokesperson for the Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation in Afghanistan said: “From these countries 83,135 single men have returned separately from their families.
“And 2,076 prisoners have been released from Pakistan jails, bringing the number of deported migrants to 284,717.”
Pakistan announced in October that it would close down all 54 Afghan refugee villages across the country.
The move came following heightened tensions between Pakistan and the Taliban, caused by an outbreak of fighting.
Afghan and Pakistani forces were involved in military clashes along the border earlier that month.
Pakistan has accused its neighbour of harbouring armed groups responsible for cross-border attacks.
