KABUL (SW) – A number of Afghan returnees from Iran have shared with Salam Watandar the grim tales of persecution they faced over there during their stay as migrants.
Among such returnees, 27-year-old Ebrahim, said that these days, apart from unemployment, economic and mental problems have also become rampant in Iran. He said: “Since I returned from Iran, I have had emotionally problems due to economic difficulties, I risked my life and migrated to Iran to improve my life, but now, day by day, I feel hopeless about life itself.”
Karim Ali, another returnee from Iran, expressing concern over the fate of his children, said that these days, due to his inability to meet the livelihood needs of his family, he cannot face his hungry children. Living in a rental house in Faizabad, the center of Badakhshan, he said: “I searched a lot in Afghanistan for jobs, but nothing worked. I went to Iran for a while, but here I am back and we have nothing to eat. Difficulties are too many, and I can’t face my hungry children because I can’t meet their needs.”
Some other Afghan citizens who recently returned from Iran, say that after the rise of anti-immigrant spirit in Iran, lives have become extremely difficult for them.
Mohibullah, who recently returned from Iran to Afghanistan through the Silk Bridge crossing in Nimruz, said that pressure has increased against the Afghan citizens in Iran. “After the establishment of the Islamic Emirate in Afghanistan, I went to Iran with my family. I was there for three years, but my family stayed there and I was deported. Now, the situation in Iran is very bad. I have no other choice than ask my family to return as well.”
Abdul Habib, who returned from Iran to Afghanistan recently via the Islam Qala border crossing in Herat, said: “I was working when the police came and beat me. They even took away my money. If I have an income of 300 Afghanis here, I will bring my wife and children back here.”
According to the statistics provided by the Ministry of Returnees and Refugees (MoRR), since the beginning of this year, nearly two million Afghan citizens have returned from neighboring countries.
The ministry added that this year, 788.821 internally displaced families have received cash and non-cash assistance and 96,293 Returnees families have been provided with homes.
ENDS
