Iran expelling illegal Afghan migrants, not anti-Afghan

TEHRAN (Khaama Press): While Afghan citizens are being expelled from Iran, the Iranian Minister of Interior Affairs has clarified in a recent statement that addressing illegal immigrants entering the country doesn’t imply being against Afghans.

Ahmad Vahidi, the Iranian Minister of Interior Affairs, has stated in a press briefing that Afghan immigrants who have entered Iran without proper legal documentation should promptly depart from the country.

He has stated that in the past month alone, approximately 200,000 Afghan migrants who had entered the Islamic Republic of Iran illegally have been returned to Afghanistan.

Mr. Vahidi emphasized the need for a more robust judicial mechanism to deal with individuals who are repatriated and return.

On the other hand, the Iranian Minister of Interior Affairs stressed that the expulsion of Afghan citizens from Iran is unrelated to the water issue between Iran and Afghanistan.

These remarks come as Afghanistan has witnessed a recent surge in the forced return of Afghan migrants from Iran and Pakistan.

The Pakistani Ministry of Interior has given migrants without legal documentation until November 1st to leave the country. Pakistan has warned that if these migrants do not depart by the specified date, they will be forcibly deported, and their properties and businesses will be seized.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation of Afghanistan announced that over 8,000 Afghan migrants have been forcibly repatriated from Iran and Pakistan in recent days.