UN Warns of Dire Timing as Afghan Refugees Face Forced Return from Pakistan
The United Nations has sounded alarm over the mass return of Afghan refugees from Pakistan, warning that the timing of the exodus coincides with Afghanistan’s struggle to recover from a devastating earthquake, according to “The Friday Times Pakistan”.
Since April, more than 554,000 Afghans have crossed back under Pakistan’s “Illegal Foreigners Repatriation Plan,” according to the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR). August alone saw 143,000 returns, with nearly 100,000 more in the first week of September. “The timing could not be worse,” said Stéphane Dujarric, spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General, stressing that many families are heading into eastern provinces where communities remain shattered by last month’s quake.
UNHCR has been providing cash assistance, protection, and basic services at border crossings and resettlement areas, but operations have been curtailed after Afghanistan’s de facto authorities barred female UN staff from entering UN compounds.
The human cost is staggering. UNICEF reports that at least 1,172 children died in the Kunar and Nangarhar earthquake—more than half of the total fatalities. Over 263,000 children are now at heightened risk of disease, malnutrition, and exploitation. Dozens have been orphaned or separated from their families, while mobile health teams struggle to meet overwhelming needs.
In Pakistan, meanwhile, pressure is mounting on Afghan communities. Authorities in Quetta have launched a crackdown on refugee-run schools—more than 30 of them serving around 12,000 students in neighborhoods such as Hazara Town and Pashtoonabad. Officials have threatened to close the schools and deport both teachers and pupils.
For many families, the closures would abruptly end their children’s education. “My daughter is 10 years old and dreams of becoming a doctor,” said one Afghan mother in Hazara Town. “If her school closes, that dream will die.”
Human rights groups warn that shuttering refugee schools will deepen despair and push families into premature, unsafe returns. “These children are already among the most vulnerable in the world,” said one Quetta-based activist. “Closing their schools means closing their future.”
Pakistan currently hosts 3.7 million Afghans, including over 800,000 registered in Balochistan. Aid agencies caution that unless both countries coordinate humane solutions, thousands of children risk losing both education and safety.
