India hands over family tents to Afghanistan for returning refugees
Synopsis
As Pakistan deports more than 10,000 Afghans daily following a hard visa deadline, India has quietly stepped in with family tents for the Afghan refugee ministry — a signal of New Delhi's sustained humanitarian engagement with Kabul even as the Taliban remains unrecognised diplomatically.
Key Takeaways
India's MEA handed over family tents to Afghanistan's Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation (MoRR) on 13 July to support Afghan returnees.
More than 4,000 Afghans were deported from Pakistan within a single 24-hour period over the weekend, according to Amu TV.
Daily returnee numbers at the Hamza Baba transit point in Landi Kotal have exceeded 10,000 since Pakistan's deportation order.
UNHCR has raised alarm over 'forcible' returns, urging Pakistan to protect women, girls, minorities, and other at-risk groups.
India has maintained humanitarian aid to Afghanistan despite not formally recognising the Taliban administration.
India's Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Monday, 13 July announced the handover of family tents to the Afghan Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation (MoRR), aimed at addressing the urgent shelter and rehabilitation needs of Afghan returnees. The move is part of New Delhi's ongoing humanitarian assistance programme for the people of Afghanistan.
What India Handed Over
The MEA confirmed the aid delivery in a post on X, stating that the tents were provided to support Afghan returnees currently arriving in large numbers. The assistance is framed as part of India's broader commitment to the Afghan people amid a deepening humanitarian crisis along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border.
The Surge in Afghan Returnees from Pakistan
Afghanistan has been receiving a sharp surge of returnees, particularly from Pakistan, after Islamabad intensified measures to repatriate undocumented migrants and refugees. An enforcement drive reportedly began following the expiry of a 10 July deadline that had allowed Afghans without valid visas to leave voluntarily.
The Taliban's Secretariat of the High Commission for Addressing Returnees' Issues said that more than 4,000 Afghans were deported from Pakistan within a single 24-hour period over the weekend, according to Amu TV. Data from the Hamza Baba transit point in Landi Kotal indicated that daily returnee numbers have exceeded 10,000 since Pakistan issued the order for all Afghan nationals to return, as reported by Pakistan's Dawn newspaper.
UNHCR Raises Alarm Over Forced Returns
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) spokesperson in Pakistan, Qaiser Khan Afridi, expressed serious concern over what he described as Pakistan's decision to 'forcibly' send back Afghan refugees and asylum seekers.
'UNHCR remains particularly concerned about women and girls forced to return to a country where their human rights are at risk, as well as other groups who might be at risk,' Afridi said, speaking to Dawn.
UNHCR has appealed to the Pakistan government to exempt Afghans with continued international protection needs from forced return — particularly those facing refoulement risks, including female heads of households, women and girls enrolled in educational institutions, ethnic and religious minorities, human rights defenders, journalists, performing artists, and members of the transgender community.
India's Broader Humanitarian Posture
India's tent handover comes at a moment when international attention on the Afghan returnee crisis is intensifying. New Delhi has historically maintained people-to-people ties with Afghanistan and has continued providing humanitarian aid even after the Taliban's return to power in 2021. This latest delivery underscores India's intent to remain a constructive stakeholder in Afghan stability without formal diplomatic recognition of the Taliban administration.
With returnee numbers climbing and shelter capacity under severe strain, the international community's response — and the pace of bilateral aid deliveries like India's — will be closely watched in the weeks ahead.
Point of View
Reinforcing a people-first narrative that has long been central to Indian diplomacy in Afghanistan. What is missing from this picture is any detail on the volume of aid, follow-up commitments, or coordination with multilateral agencies — without which the announcement risks reading as optics rather than operations. The real test of India's humanitarian posture will be whether this is a one-off delivery or the first tranche of a structured response to what UNHCR is already describing as a protection crisis.
NationPress
14 Jul 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What aid has India provided to Afghan returnees?
India handed over family tents to Afghanistan's Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation (MoRR) on 13 July, as part of its continued humanitarian assistance to the Afghan people. The tents are intended to address the shelter and rehabilitation needs of Afghans returning from Pakistan.
Why are so many Afghans returning to Afghanistan from Pakistan?
Pakistan launched an enforcement drive after a 10 July deadline expired for Afghans without valid visas to leave voluntarily. More than 4,000 Afghans were deported within a single 24-hour period, and daily returnee numbers at the Landi Kotal transit point have exceeded 10,000.
What has UNHCR said about the Afghan deportations from Pakistan?
UNHCR spokesperson Qaiser Khan Afridi expressed concern over what he called Pakistan's 'forcible' return of Afghan refugees and asylum seekers. UNHCR has specifically flagged risks for women, girls, minorities, human rights defenders, journalists, and transgender individuals, and has urged Pakistan to exempt those facing refoulement risks.
Does India officially recognise the Taliban government in Afghanistan?
India has not formally recognised the Taliban administration, which returned to power in 2021. However, New Delhi has continued to provide humanitarian assistance to the Afghan people and maintains a degree of engagement with Kabul.
Where are the returning Afghans entering from Pakistan?
A significant volume of returnees is passing through the Hamza Baba transit point in Landi Kotal, where officials have recorded daily arrivals exceeding 10,000 people since Pakistan's deportation order came into effect.
