Since April 1, a total of 22,530 Afghan refugees have been repatriated to Afghanistan via the Torkham border, while 483 families comprising 5,829 individuals are currently waiting for repatriation at the holding camp.
According to official sources, most returnees were Afghan Citizen Card holders and undocumented migrants, with only a negligible number possessing Proof of Registration (PoR) cards.
Large groups of Afghan families are still present at the Landi Kotal holding camp and in Torkham, where they are being thoroughly checked before being allowed to cross into Afghanistan. Among the deportees were 2,241 Afghan nationals, including 466 men, 393 women, and 1,382 children.
Many refugees shared their grievances with TNN, describing their experiences as painful and unjust. Sayed Mohammad, an elderly Afghan refugee, lamented that Pashto-speaking individuals were being arrested in Punjab without cause, detained in police stations, and later transferred to camps where men, women, and children are separated.
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“I spent 55 years in Pakistan,” he said with emotion, “but now I’m forced to leave everything behind.” He also highlighted the exorbitant transportation costs, claiming that a truck to Torkham costs Rs 150,000, and reaching camps inside Afghanistan can cost up to Rs 300,000, an unaffordable burden for most families.
Others like Abdul Saboor and Abdullah, both born in Pakistan with parents buried here, expressed a deep sense of loss and identity crisis. “We don’t know where we’ll go or what we’ll do in Afghanistan. Our roots are here in Pakistan,” they said.
While a few expressed optimism about starting anew in their homeland, the overwhelming sentiment among the returnees was one of uncertainty, despair, and disconnection, with many unsure of what awaits them across the border.
