Pakistan — Flow Monitoring of Undocumented Afghan Returnees from Pakistan (26 March —1 April 2017)

IOM Pakistan’s Weekly Situation Report on the Returns of Undocumented Afghans through the Torkham border, reporting period [26th March  - 1st April 2017].

• During the week of 26^th March– 1^st April 2017, a total of 2978 (485 families) undocumented Afghans returned from Pakistan through the Torkham border.
• Movement trends for the reporting period indicate:
  • Of the total, 60% individuals returned from district Peshawar and 8% returned from Khyber Agency in FATA.
  • Approximately 71% individuals intended to return to Nangarhar, 18% to Kabul in Afghanistan.
• During this reporting period, there is a 16%  increase in the proportion of respondents citing “Economic Factors” as a push factor. At the same time, there is a 7% increase in respondents stating availability of “Assistance is Afghanistan” as a pull factor.
• With the start of refugee returns as of 3^rd April and given that most families comprise of documented as well as undocumented individuals; there is a sharp increase in the number of undocumented individuals returning compared to the previous reporting period (approximately over a 300 % increase from previous week).
• Trends also indicate a 14% decrease in the proportion of respondents citing “Afraid of being deported” as a push factor – this can be attributed to the Government of Pakistan’s decision to document the previously unregistered Afghans. In this regard, the Government of Pakistan is in the process of starting rounds of consultation through the newly established Returns Task Force at the national and sub national levels.