Thousands of Afghan refugees cross border from Pakistan: IOM

Refugee ministry spokesman says that 6000-7000 Afghan citizens had returned since the start of April, urges Pakistani authorities not to deport them forcefully

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Thousands of Afghans have crossed the border from Pakistan in recent days, the United Nations and Taliban officials said, raising concerns about a potential humanitarian crisis in their country of origin.

Earlier, tens of thousands of Afghan families settled in Pakistan for the last over four decades have started leaving for their homeland after the deadline for the Afghan Citizen Card (ACC) holders expired on March 31.

Eid Al Fitr had slowed the repatriation of the undocumented and ACC holders for a few days. Arrangements are being finalised at two camps established in Peshawar and Khyber district to facilitate the returning Afghans, the Taliban said.

Families with their belongings in tow lined up at the key border crossings of Torkham in the north and Spin Boldak in the south, recalling similar scenes in 2021 when tens of thousands of Afghans fled devastation through Pakistan.

"In the last 2 days, 8,025 undocumented & ACC holders returned via Torkham & Spin Boldak crossings," the UN International Organisation for Migration (IOM) said in a post on social media platform X, on Monday.

Taliban officials also said thousands of people had crossed the border, but at lower rates than the IOM reported.