Afghans recently returned from Pakistan say the assistance provided by the government is not enough and that they are in urgent need of more support.
They report having been expelled suddenly by Pakistan and are now facing severe hardships.
Bibi Shams, one of the thousands of returnees, shared her difficult story of displacement and abrupt return.
Speaking to a TOLOnews reporter, she said: “We need land to build homes, my children are hungry. We need help. Winter is coming, and we are in need of aid.”
Other returnees also said that although aid agencies have provided some assistance, it falls short of meeting the needs of the expelled people.
Duaa, another deportee from Pakistan, said: “There has been some aid, but it’s not enough. Among us are refugees who have neither homes nor shelter. They need to be cared for and all their needs addressed.”
Meanwhile, the head of the UNHCR in Afghanistan stated that nearly 100,000 Afghans were deported from Pakistan during the first week of September alone.
According to Arafat Jamal: “Just in the first week of September, nearly 100,000 people returned from Pakistan, which is pushing our and the country’s capacity to the limit.”
According to the Afghan High Commission for Refugees, 10,288 people were deported from Iran and Pakistan just on the previous Thursday.
Deputy spokesperson for the Islamic Emirate, Hamdullah Fitrat, wrote on his X account that necessary assistance has been provided to the returnees.
