One of the most emotional moments during the mass deportation of Afghan refugees from Pakistan was the return of a remarkably old woman, reported to be 129 years old, crossing back into Afghanistan after years of living across the border.
Pakistan has been pushing out millions of undocumented Afghan migrants in a major crackdown. Pakistan is currently home to over 2.2 million Afghans, according to UNHCR data. The government says many overstayed without proper documentation, citing security concerns linked to the TTP militant group as a key reason behind the deportations.
Since September 2023, more than 2.43 million undocumented Afghan migrants have returned from Iran and Pakistan, with women and girls making up about half of the returnees from Pakistan. The elderly woman’s case captured public attention and went viral on social media, where a young man was seen holding her hands and helping her at the border crossing.
Returnees face rising exposure to gender-based violence, forced marriage, and trafficking, with humanitarian agencies reporting a critical shortage of safe spaces, especially at border crossings where many women arrive distressed and disoriented.
The image of a 129-year-old woman being deported highlighted the human cost of the ongoing refugee crisis and drew widespread sympathy from people across Pakistan and Afghanistan.
