India has handed over family tents to Afghanistan to support the shelter and rehabilitation of returning refugees as part of its ongoing humanitarian assistance….reports Asian Lite News Desk
India has handed over family tents to Afghanistan to support the shelter and rehabilitation of Afghan returnees, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) announced on Monday, reaffirming New Delhi’s continued humanitarian assistance to the Afghan people.
“As part of India’s continued humanitarian assistance to the people of Afghanistan, India has handed over family tents to the Afghan Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation (MoRR) to support the shelter and rehabilitation needs of Afghan returnees,” the MEA said in a post on X.
The assistance comes at a time when Afghanistan is witnessing a sharp increase in the number of returning nationals, particularly from neighbouring Pakistan, where authorities have intensified measures to repatriate refugees and undocumented migrants.
According to reports, Pakistani authorities have stepped up enforcement after the July 10 deadline for Afghans without valid visas to leave the country voluntarily expired.
The Taliban’s Secretariat of the High Commission for Addressing Returnees’ Issues said that more than 4,000 Afghans were deported from Pakistan within a 24-hour period over the weekend, according to Amu TV.
Data from the Hamza Baba transit point in Landi Kotal also indicated a significant rise in the number of returnees in recent days.
Officials at the transit point said the daily number of Afghan nationals crossing back into Afghanistan has exceeded 10,000 since Pakistan ordered Afghan nationals residing in the country to return, Pakistan’s daily Dawn reported.
The large-scale returns have raised concerns among international humanitarian agencies about the conditions facing those returning to Afghanistan, particularly vulnerable groups.
The spokesperson for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Pakistan, Qaiser Khan Afridi, expressed concern over Pakistan’s decision to “forcibly” return Afghan refugees and asylum seekers.
“UNHCR remains particularly concerned about women and girls forced to return to a country where their human rights are at risk, as well as other groups who might be at risk,” he said while speaking to Dawn.
Afridi urged the Pakistani authorities to ensure that any return of Afghan nationals is voluntary, safe and dignified.
“UNHCR has appealed to the government of Pakistan to exempt Afghans with continued international protection needs from voluntary return, especially those facing refoulement risks, including profiles such as female heads of households, women and girls enrolled in educational institutions in Pakistan, individuals from ethnic and religious minorities, human rights defenders, journalists, performing artists and members of the transgender community,” the report in Dawn said.
India has continued to provide humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan in recent years, including food aid, medicines, vaccines and disaster relief supplies, while maintaining engagement with the Afghan people despite the country’s political and economic challenges.
The latest consignment of family tents is aimed at supporting the immediate shelter requirements of thousands of returnees arriving in Afghanistan amid the ongoing influx from Pakistan.
