Israel, Pakistan
International News: Israel’s recent air strike on Iran has sparked an unexpected phenomenon—within just two days, 773 Pakistani citizens fled back to their homeland. The group included 545 pilgrims and 228 students, all evacuated via organized bus convoys to Pakistan’s border. Tehran responded by shutting several educational institutions and encouraging foreign nationals to leave, citing safety concerns. Officials report that the sudden exodus served Tehran’s interests, as it cleared out a large number of irregular migrants. What began as a military strike has led to a sweeping demographic movement with far-reaching implications.
The majority of these Pakistani nationals were residing in Tehran and surrounding cities when the evacuation began. They were transported under tight security to Torkham and Taftan border points, where Pakistani officials received them. This operation, overseen by Iran’s interior ministry, prioritized pilgrims and students, but also included undocumented migrants. A Pakistani ambassador described it as a “swift, organized response.” In one dramatic turn, those who might have otherwise remained vulnerable within Iran were escorted out in record time.
It’s not just Iran—Iraq has followed suit. On the same day, 268 Pakistani pilgrims who were touring Shiite shrines in Basra were flown back to Karachi and Islamabad through special flights. Coordinated by Iraq’s national carrier and Pakistan’s foreign office, the mission aimed to protect citizens amid rising regional instability. The returnees described a tense atmosphere, with host governments urging swift departures. These airlifts demonstrate how rapidly conflict zones can redirect human flows across international borders.
Meanwhile, Afghanistan has also seen a mass movement. Between June 13–16, nearly 1,994 Afghan families were deported from Iran—many forcibly—while another 238 families voluntarily returned to Afghanistan via Pakistan. Taliban‑controlled media outlet BNA reported these numbers. Nearly 2,200 Afghan families displaced in just days, underscoring the ripple effect of war spilling beyond combat zones. For those families, leaving Iran means restarting lives in already fragile communities back home.
Iran had declared a July 5 deadline for illegal residents to leave or face arrest and deportation. But in light of the Israeli raids, that rule went into overdrive. The threat of aerial bombardment hastened the exit timetable, sparking a mass departure of Pakistanis and Afghans. Border officials in Pakistan noted crossings surged overnight. Experts argue that without the strike, migrants would have largely remained—doing informal labor, attending studies, or living under the radar in Iranian cities.
The exodus arrives amid Iran’s deepening woes: crippling sanctions, economic collapse, and internal dissent. Foreign migrants added strain to public services and fueled security fears. Ironically, the air strike forced a cleansing that Tehran now calls “beneficial” to its burdened system. What was meant to be an assault has morphed into a demographic reset—offering Iran temporary relief while reigniting questions over the human cost of conflict.
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