Afghan families return via Tor Kham as Pakistani pressures fluctuate

Authorities overseeing the temporary settlement at Tor Kham say that the flow of Afghan families returning from Pakistan has decreased sharply after a recent high of five to seven hundred households per day, now dropping to a more modest count. The decline, they explain, mirrors the Pakistani government's varying pressure on Afghan migrants: stricter measures spur returns, while leniency slows them. Recent returnees recount severe restrictions in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, such as police raids, arrests and bans on work, which forced them to flee.

Despite reaching Afghanistan, many families still lack housing, employment and land, urging the Islamic Emirate to provide homes and sustainable jobs. Humanitarian committees are delivering initial aid and coordinating the families' onward movement to their respective provinces. Over the past three years, nearly six million Afghans have repatriated from Iran and Pakistan, highlighting the scale of the broader return trend.