Kabul: Around 1,000 Afghan Migrants Deported from Pakistan, Iran

Afghan refugees arrive in trucks and cars to cross the Pakistan-Afghanistan border in Chaman on October 31, 2023. (AFP)
Afghan refugees arrive in trucks and cars to cross the Pakistan-Afghanistan border in Chaman on October 31, 2023. (AFP)
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Kabul: Around 1,000 Afghan Migrants Deported from Pakistan, Iran

Afghan refugees arrive in trucks and cars to cross the Pakistan-Afghanistan border in Chaman on October 31, 2023. (AFP)
Afghan refugees arrive in trucks and cars to cross the Pakistan-Afghanistan border in Chaman on October 31, 2023. (AFP)

The Afghani Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation Affairs announced on Monday that nearly a thousand Afghan migrants returned to the country after being expelled by Pakistan, the Khaama news agency said.
According to a newsletter released by the ministry on Sunday, 913 Afghan migrants residing in Pakistan have entered the country.
The newspaper also said the migrants who had been expelled returned to the country on May 5th.
Both Pakistan and Iran have recently intensified the expulsion of Afghan citizens from their territories, with hundreds of Afghans, including families and individuals, entering the country daily through various border crossings.
Pakistan and Iran consistently cite the lack of legal documentation for residency in their countries as the primary reason for the expulsion of Afghan migrants.
Meanwhile, the Afghan refugees who were forcibly deported from Iran have complained of inhumane treatment at the hands of the Iranian government. They reported being beaten by Iranian government forces. Baseer, a refugee who spent two years in Iran and was recently deported with his three children, said, “When they wanted to search us, I resisted, and they beat me.”
He told the Afghan Tolo television channel on Sunday, “Now, I don't know if my rib is broken. I can't even lift two kilograms.”
Some Afghan migrants in Pakistan also expressed concern about the growing challenges they face and asked for international attention to the plight of Afghan migrants.
Late last month, Afghanistan’s Ministry of Refugees and Repatriations said more than two thousand Afghan migrants have re-entered the country after being expelled by the governments of Pakistan and Iran.
Meanwhile, the Chinese Red Cross donated $100,000 to assist recent flood victims in the country.
According to the Chinese ambassador in Kabul, the country's Red Cross deposited this money with Mullah Nuruddin Turabi, the Deputy of the Red Crescent of Afghanistan. Previously, China had announced that it would send 100 million yuan to “address humanitarian challenges.”
China has had good relations with Afghanistan in the past two years, and Chinese officials have repeatedly visited Afghanistan to expand political, economic, and transit relations with authorities.
In the past two years, Beijing has helped Kabul with education, health, construction, and sending humanitarian aid.



Arrests Made in Türkiye over Calls for Shopping Boycott to Support Istanbul's Imprisoned Mayor

Fine art university students shout slogans as they march past an Expresso Lab coffee bar during a peaceful protest after Istanbul's Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu was arrested and sent to prison, in Istanbul, Türkiye, Thursday, March 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)
Fine art university students shout slogans as they march past an Expresso Lab coffee bar during a peaceful protest after Istanbul's Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu was arrested and sent to prison, in Istanbul, Türkiye, Thursday, March 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)
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Arrests Made in Türkiye over Calls for Shopping Boycott to Support Istanbul's Imprisoned Mayor

Fine art university students shout slogans as they march past an Expresso Lab coffee bar during a peaceful protest after Istanbul's Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu was arrested and sent to prison, in Istanbul, Türkiye, Thursday, March 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)
Fine art university students shout slogans as they march past an Expresso Lab coffee bar during a peaceful protest after Istanbul's Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu was arrested and sent to prison, in Istanbul, Türkiye, Thursday, March 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)

Turkish police detained 11 people Thursday for supporting a shopping boycott as part of protests against the imprisonment of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s main rival, state-run media reported.

The Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office issued arrest warrants for 16 suspects in an investigation into “hatred and discrimination” and “inciting hatred and hostility” among the public, the Anadolu news agency said.

Among the detained was actor Cem Yigit Uzumoglu, who played Sultan Mehmed the Conqueror in the Netflix docuseries “Rise of Empires: Ottoman,” the Actors’ Union said.

The suspects were held over social media posts calling on people to not to spend money on Wednesday and for businesses to shut their doors in solidarity during the daylong boycott, The AP news reported.

Large-scale anti-government protests began last month after the arrest of Istanbul's opposition Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu on corruption charges that critics say are politically motivated. The government insists the judiciary is independent and free of political interference.

Istanbul prosecutors on Tuesday launched a criminal investigation into earlier boycott calls by Imamoglu’s party targeting companies it alleges support the government. In particular, the opposition identified media firms that did not air images of protests in which hundreds of thousands of people flooded the streets to call for Imamoglu’s release and an end to democratic backsliding.

The leader of Imamoglu’s Republican People’s Party, or CHP, issued a warning after authorities blocked social media accounts supporting Wednesday's boycott.

“We know that you have closed hundreds of pages to date,” Ozgur Ozel wrote on X. “If you become a tool for anti-democratic practices today, if you implement access ban demands, think carefully about what this nation will do to you!”

While in prison, Imamoglu has been confirmed as the CHP's presidential candidate. The next election is currently scheduled for 2028 but is likely to take place earlier.

According to the independent ANKA News Agency, some 2,000 people have been detained since Imamoglu was arrested on March 19, with 316 jailed pending trial. Most face charges relating to participating in protests.

Lawyers for imprisoned protesters on Wednesday said many had suffered mistreatment. The government has not responded to the allegations but on Thursday the police issued a statement denying claims that women had been sexually assaulted in custody as “vile slanders.”