As Afghan families return from across Pakistan, particularly Punjab, many are resorting to hired transport to carry their belongings, highlighting the strain of displacement and migration
By Sudhir Ahmad Afridi
TORKHAM: Afghan refugee families attempting to return home via the Torkham border crossing are facing mounting difficulties as Pakistani authorities continue to deny entry to vehicles lacking Temporary Admission Documents (TAD). The policy, in place since last year, bars any undocumented vehicle from entering Afghanistan, causing distress for many returning families, especially those carrying household belongings.
On Saturday alone, 80 Afghan families – totaling approximately 450 individuals – crossed back into Afghanistan through Torkham. Most of the returnees were women and children, according to local sources. Many Afghan families returning from across Pakistan, particularly Punjab, are using hired transport to take household items back with them. However, most of these vehicles do not possess the required TAD paperwork, leading to forced offloading at the Torkham border.
Families are then compelled to transfer their belongings to alternate vehicles that meet the documentation requirements – a costly and exhausting process. One such returnee, Gul Agha Afghani, recounted his ordeal. “We hired a truck from Chiniot, Punjab, to take us and our household items to Afghanistan. But when we reached Torkham, we were stopped because the truck lacked TAD papers. We had no choice but to unload everything and transfer it to another vehicle. After travelling for 18 hours straight, the children and women were exhausted and distressed.
Now I have to pay double the fare for another truck,” he said. He appealed to Pakistani authorities to show leniency toward Afghan refugees, stating that most are poor and unable to afford such expenses. Customs officials and clearing agents at Torkham maintained that the rules are non-negotiable. “No vehicle without TAD documentation is allowed to cross into Afghanistan. Afghan families must ensure their transport complies with this regulation to avoid unnecessary hardship,” said one official.
The repatriation of undocumented Afghan refugees continues in phases across Pakistan. On 1 April, the federal government formally began expelling Afghan nationals without legal residence status, starting with Islamabad and Rawalpindi. Similar operations are ongoing in several districts of Punjab. To manage the outflow, holding and transit centers have been set up in Nasir Bagh (Peshawar) and Landi Kotal, from where returnees are routed through the Torkham crossing.
