Taliban Register Afghans Expelled from Iran and Pakistan for Qatar Jobs Amidst Growing Concerns
Meta Description: The Taliban are registering Afghan nationals expelled from Iran and Pakistan for work opportunities in Qatar, highlighting a desperate search for employment and raising human rights concerns.
The Taliban government registered 1,800 unemployed Afghans who were recently expelled from neighboring countries on Wednesday, August 13, 2025, for potential employment in Qatar. This initiative represents the latest phase of a labor agreement between the Taliban and the Gulf nation, aimed at alleviating Afghanistan’s severe unemployment crisis. A Labor Ministry spokesperson indicated that discussions are also underway to secure work opportunities for Afghan citizens in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Turkey, and Russia.
Last month, approximately 3,100 Afghans were registered for jobs in Qatar, with a focus on sectors like food service and hospitality. Wednesday’s registration drive, limited to individuals expelled from Iran and Pakistan, took place in the major Afghan cities of Kabul, Kandahar, Herat, and Nangarhar. The move comes as at least 2 million Afghans have been forced to leave Iran and Pakistan this year, following separate government campaigns targeting foreigners residing in the countries without legal documentation.
While authorities in both Iran and Pakistan deny intentionally targeting Afghan nationals, the vast majority of those forcibly returned have been identified as Afghan citizens. Individuals possessing refugee certificates were permitted to register at designated centers in the four Afghan cities, hoping to secure one of the 1,800 available work visas. According to Labor Ministry spokesperson Samiullah Ibrahimi, “These work visas cover 22 different job categories and are specifically for these jobless Afghan returnees.”
The desperation for employment was visible as dozens of men formed long lines outside a registration center in Kabul. “Here in Afghanistan, there is no work, and there is a shortage of job opportunities,” stated one man, Poyan Ahmadi, who had previously resided in Iran. He expressed hope that the Taliban government would pursue similar agreements with other nations.
However, the pursuit of employment is shadowed by serious human rights concerns. A United Nations report released last month detailed allegations of torture and threats leveled against Afghan nationals forcibly returned from Iran and Pakistan, often based on their identity or personal history. While Afghan authorities have encouraged nationals to return, pledging amnesty to those who left after the Taliban regained power in 2021, international organizations and rights groups have repeatedly cautioned that returnees face a significant risk of persecution due to their gender, profession, or affiliations with the former Western-backed administration.
The UN report specifically cited instances of torture, ill-treatment, arbitrary arrest, and threats to personal security perpetrated by the Taliban. Furthermore, in July 2025, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) warned that the forced deportations from Pakistan could violate the international principle of non-refoulement, which prohibits returning individuals to countries where they face credible threats to their life or freedom. The UNHCR emphasized that repatriations on this scale have the potential to destabilize the already fragile situation in Afghanistan, which has been under Taliban rule since 2021.
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The situation underscores the complex interplay between economic necessity and human rights concerns as Afghanistan navigates a challenging geopolitical landscape.
