As the first snow falls on the Hindu Kush, more than one million Afghan refugees and asylum-seekers have been pushed out of Pakistan this year, returning to a country where 90% of the population lives in poverty and winter temperatures routinely drop below -20°C.
UNHCR has confirmed the staggering figure: over 1 million returns from Pakistan alone in 2025, with an additional 1.2 million returning from Iran. Many are arriving at border crossings exhausted, cold, and carrying nothing but the clothes on their backs.
“In the right circumstances, voluntary return is something to celebrate,” said Philippa Candler, UNHCR Representative in Pakistan. “But right now, these are not the right circumstances. These returns are raising far more concerns than solutions.”
A Perfect Storm of Hardship
- Brutal winter weather now gripping Afghanistan
- Recent devastating earthquakes that destroyed thousands of homes
- An economic collapse leaving 9 out of 10 Afghans in poverty
- Skyrocketing unemployment and collapsed public services
- Critically underfunded humanitarian response
At Torkham and Spin Boldak crossing points, UNHCR teams are racing against the cold to provide emergency shelter, blankets, warm clothing, and hot meals. But with funding at crisis levels, aid workers warn they can only reach a fraction of those in need.
The Funding Emergency No One Is Talking About
With traditional government donations drying up, UNHCR has issued an urgent global appeal: $35 million needed immediately to keep the most vulnerable families alive through winter.
Your donation today can deliver:
- Warm blankets and winter clothing for children sleeping on the ground
- Fuel and heating materials for families living in damaged or makeshift homes
- Emergency cash assistance so mothers can buy food and medicine
- Protection services for women, girls, and minorities at extreme risk
A Plea to Pakistan: Honor Your Legacy of Protection
UNHCR has urged the Government of Pakistan to exempt the most vulnerable Afghans — women at risk, former employees of international forces, human rights defenders, journalists, and minorities — from the Illegal Foreigners Repatriation Plan (IFRP).
“Pakistan has one of the most generous hospitality records in modern history, hosting millions of Afghans for over four decades,” the agency stated. “Exempting those with specific protection needs is not only the right thing to do — it is in line with Pakistan’s own proud tradition.”
The Human Cost of Inaction
Without urgent support, aid agencies warn of:
- Thousands of preventable deaths from cold exposure
- Families forced into dangerous onward migration
- A lost generation of children growing up without education or safety
As one returning mother at Torkham told UNHCR staff while clutching her shivering toddler: “We had no choice but to leave Pakistan. But we have nothing here. If the world forgets us this winter, we will not survive.”
