From displacement to return: the humanitarian realities facing Afghan returnees

In the outskirts of Afghanistan, hundreds of thousands of Afghan refugees have been forcibly returned from Pakistan. At the same time, growing numbers of Afghans have also been returned from Iran, adding to the scale and complexity of the humanitarian crisis. Many have been deported, while others have returned with few or no resources, leaving them to settle in remote mountainous areas far from major roads and essential services. They live in makeshift shelters, often just tents under the scorching sun or on bare stones, with no access to clean water, food, or even basic shelter. Healthcare is out of reach, and many lack even the simplest identification documents, leaving them vulnerable and invisible in the margins of society.

Before fleeing to Pakistan, I was a high school student in Kabul, dreaming of becoming a doctor. My family led a relatively stable life: we had clean water to drink, food to eat, a roof over our heads, and the freedom to seek opportunities. But after August 2021, when the Taliban seized power, my father lost his job, and that fragile economic stability we once knew evaporated. We were forced to leave, seeking refuge in Pakistan, not knowing if we would ever return to a secure life.

This experience is just one of many. Across Pakistan, families are being uprooted and returned to this limbo. Following renewed border clashes between Pakistan and Afghanistan, Pakistani authorities have intensified the forced return and deportation of Afghan refugees. Many returnees face significant humanitarian needs including lack of shelter, food, clean water and legal recognition, leaving them vulnerable during the reintegration process. These returnees need urgent support from shelter to food, from healthcare to legal recognition so that they are no longer invisible, but given the basic dignity they deserve.

The reality for returnees

These figures point to a stark reality: many families who have been forcibly returned to Afghanistan now live in remote villages, tucked between mountains, far from urban infrastructure. For example, in the village of Barik, many returnees live in tents without consistent support. Occasionally, they receive basic necessities from the International Organization for Migration or the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), but this assistance remains limited because funding shortages have forced humanitarian organisations to reduce the scope of their services.

In some cases, families lack even a simple tent, exposed to the elements with no reliable source of shelter. As a result, these families are not just facing temporary hardship; they continue to lack reliable access to essential services and the means to rebuild their lives. For example, Ali recently returned to Afghanistan and now struggles daily in the border area of Torkham. He describes his life as one of constant scarcity: no food, no shelter and no water. He says he feels like a displaced person in his own country, cut off from basic rights and trapped in an endless struggle for survival. His daily walk through the mountains in search of food is a stark reminder that these humanitarian gaps are not abstract – they are lived realities every day for thousands of returnees.

Without secure shelter, consistent food supplies, or access to clean water, each day for these returnees is a battle for basic survival. Many returnee families also remain unable to enrol their children in school or access formal employment because they lack legal documentation. These conditions create a cycle of marginalisation, where each step forward is blocked by the absence of basic services. Rather than being a temporary setback, they represent a persistent humanitarian crisis that continues to impede recovery and prevent returnee families from rebuilding their lives. As a consequence, many returnees remain trapped, because humanitarian needs continue to exceed the assistance available to support long-term recovery.

Local and international humanitarian responses

In response to this crisis, humanitarian organisations have stepped in where formal systems have faltered. For instance, the Afghan Red Crescent Society and the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) have mobilised resources to deliver food and water in villages like Barik, near Torkham. These efforts have provided temporary relief, ensuring some families have access to rice, cooked meals and clean water. However, despite the dedication of humanitarian organisations such as the NRC, funding shortages and the scale of need have limited the duration and reach of assistance. As documented in a recent NRC report, much of this support is necessarily short-term and cannot fully address longer-term challenges such as inadequate shelter and legal documentation. Without sustained funding and continued humanitarian support, many returnees remain vulnerable, facing significant barriers to building stable and self-reliant lives.

Amid the uncertainty, small but structured support networks have begun to emerge, bridging the gap between exclusion and opportunity. One such group is the Afghan Horizons Network, founded by Dr Laila Rahimi, a returnee herself. This grassroots organisation coordinates essential distributions – providing rice, bread and hygiene kits to returnees in places like Barik and Torkham. Situated along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border, Torkham serves as one of the main entry points for Afghans returning from Pakistan. As thousands of families pass through, many face documentation requirements, overcrowding, and occasional movement restrictions that can delay their onward journey and increase their immediate humanitarian needs.

Dr Rahimi, drawing on her experience as both a medical professional and a displaced person, has built a system where small teams distribute aid weekly, ensuring that the most basic needs – food, water and personal hygiene – are met. Despite their impact, these efforts remain modest, as resources are limited, and the scale of need far outpaces what a single organisation can provide. Still, Afghan Horizons Network offers a vital example of how localised, community-led initiatives can partially fill the gap, offering a bridge between extreme deprivation and modest recovery, even though broader, sustained institutional support is still essential.

Local organisations have made significant attempts to address these needs by supplying essential goods to returning families. Yet, these efforts remain inconsistent, reliant on fragile and unpredictable funding streams. Despite these limitations, they provide more than just material aid; they offer crucial pockets of stability in otherwise chaotic circumstances. These small-scale interventions, though modest, give returnee families a semblance of dignity and routine. Importantly, these communities are not just passive recipients; they are active agents, shaping informal strategies of survival, coordinating distribution, and supporting one another in the absence of formal structures.

Conclusion

These experiences highlight several key considerations for humanitarian practitioners responding to returnees:

• Address legal recognition early: Without legal documentation, returnees are stuck in a cycle of exclusion. Humanitarian programmes must integrate legal aid from the start, ensuring that families have access to identification, education and formal employment.
• Integrate local leadership: Local communities are not passive –they must be key partners. Humanitarian actors should engage these grassroots leaders early, ensuring that aid aligns with lived realities and local knowledge.
• Integrate humanitarian and development approaches: Immediate humanitarian assistance should be complemented by longer-term investments in education, livelihoods and basic services. This would provide not just food, but opportunities for immediate safety, protection and basic survival.
• Plan for flexible pathways: The routes returnees take are unpredictable. Humanitarian responses must be adaptable, ensuring they can pivot when families are blocked by shifting conditions at the border or in remote areas.

Understanding return as a continuation of displacement, rather than its end, is essential. The experiences of Afghan returnees illustrate that the challenges of displacement often persist long after people return home. While humanitarian assistance remains critical to addressing immediate needs, lasting recovery also requires sustained advocacy and long-term efforts to improve conditions across Afghanistan, enabling returnees to rebuild their lives with dignity and supporting the country’s path toward lasting stability and prosperity.

Mehrullah Rahmani is an Afghan author, teacher and advocate for refugees.