a Pakistani town in Khyber District, that is the location of the Torkham Border Crossing with Afghanistan just to the west of the historic Khyber Pass
carrying the belongings of a lifetime, as families wait for permission to move.Caught between leaving and staying, families have been waiting for days for the crossing to reopen.
In Landi Kotal, temporary camps are hosting hundreds of families who have gathered to register.
Saleha Bibi, a returnee, said: "When a person leaves a place where they have lived, it feels like being separated from parents. I am happy to return to my country, but I worry about my children."
Among the tents, an injured child is brought into the camp, while families move their belongings using handcarts.
Some have even brought their pets with them, a sign of a hurried and forced departure.
| Since 2023, Pakistain has intensified the deportation of Afghan |
Another returnee, Noor Ali, said: "We have been stuck by the roadside for ten days. If the crossing closes again, it will create a big problem for us."
Fears among these
Sardar Wali, another returnee, said: "We fear that if conflict breaks out, the crossing will remain closed and we will be stranded here. We want to return as soon as possible."
Since 2023, Pakistain has intensified the deportation of Afghan
As tensions continue, the future of these families remains uncertain. Yet for many, returning, though difficult, appears to be the only option.
Returning to Afghanistan; Fragile Hope Amid Harsh Realities
[ToloNews] I first came to Afghanistan in the early 2000s. In Herat
...a venerable old Persian-speaking city in western Afghanistan, populated mostly by Tadjiks, which is why it's not as blood-soaked as areas controlled by Pashtuns...
, I worked with UNHCR alongside families returning from Iran, men and women determined to rebuild after years of war. There was fragile optimism then, a hope that the country might finally turn a corner.
More than twenty years on, millions of Afghans are again on the move and again returning. So far this year, 2.7 million people have crossed back from Pakistain and Iran.
At Torkham, one of the main entry points back into Afghanistan, the scene I saw last week was stark. Under hot, dusty skies, families arrived after days on the road.
Children clung to parents. Men and women dragged sacks of clothes and belongings.
The de facto authorities, the UN and partners are doing what they can, but the sheer scale of returns, some 10,000 people a day is overwhelming. These returns from Pakistain must be voluntary, gradual and dignified, otherwise, they risk compounding hardship rather than ending it. And with winter fast approaching, the difficulties will only grow.
Afghanistan has unfortunately known this cycle for generations. Conflict erupts, people flee. The violence subsides, they return. UNHCR has walked alongside Afghans through each of these turns, trying to make returns sustainable not just a journey home, but the start of a life with dignity.
One woman I met at the border had left as a child, grown up in Pakistain, and was now returning with children of her own. "This is my home," she told me, "but it is not a home I know." Her story is not unique. For many, Afghanistan is a place remembered only through parents’ memories or seen for the first time with anxious eyes.
The reality they face is harsh. Afghanistan may be quieter than in years of open conflict, but peace has not yet brought prosperity. The economy is struggling. Nearly 50% of the population relies on some form of humanitarian aid
. Jobs are scarce, healthcare fragile, schools under strain. The situation is even more challenging for women and girls. UNHCR has supported Afghan women and girls for nearly four decades. Our female colleagues have been vital in reaching Afghans in need with assistance. As one Afghan female staff member told me this week, "We support not only our own families, but entire communities."
Yet today, these women are not permitted to work in UN offices. The result is stark: without them, our assistance centers, lifelines that since the early 2000s have supported nearly six million Afghans cannot function. Three in ten families who seek our help are headed by women, and the vast majority are women and kiddies. Without Afghan women in the response, many of those most in need will simply go without.
Afghanistan’s future will depend on the resilience and contributions of all its people. Afghans are resilient. But resilience alone is not enough. If these returns are to succeed, families need more than a bus ticket across the border and the hypothetical Duran Line and some small cash. They need livelihood programs, shelters, schools, clinics, and a way to earn a living. They need time and the chance to stand on their own feet. We are doing and can do support this work, but resources are already stretched to the maximum.
Afghanistan’s stability matters to us all. The choice is clear: invest now in reintegration, or risk watching hope collapse at the border, and the unintended consequences that may follow.
Related:
Torkham: 2026-03-17 Afghan Air Force targeted a post of the Pakistani military regime near the Durand Line
Torkham: 2026-03-16 Pakistani Air Force strikes targets in Kandahar, Afghanistan
Torkham: 2026-03-09 Child killed, four injured after mortar shell allegedly fired from Afghanistan lands in North Waziristan neighbourhood
Torkham: 2026-03-17 Afghan Air Force targeted a post of the Pakistani military regime near the Durand Line
Torkham: 2026-03-16 Pakistani Air Force strikes targets in Kandahar, Afghanistan
Torkham: 2026-03-09 Child killed, four injured after mortar shell allegedly fired from Afghanistan lands in North Waziristan neighbourhood