Last week, five bullet-riddled bodies of Afghan nationals were found hanging from an electric pole in Dalbandin city, Balochistan, near the Afghanistan-Iran border. On Thursday, the Afghan embassy in Islamabad confirmed that the bodies had been returned to their families. The embassy’s statement indicated that the bodies were handed over at the Spin Boldak-Chaman border crossing on Wednesday after their consulate in Balochistan made significant efforts to facilitate the return. The embassy described the killings as brutal and carried out by unknown assailants.
Since the Taliban’s return to power in 2021, approximately 600,000 Afghans have migrated to Pakistan. However, relations between Islamabad and Kabul have deteriorated, leading to Pakistan’s ongoing campaign to evict large numbers of undocumented Afghan nationals.
