Jan Egeland, Secretary-General of the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), says many Afghan families returning from Pakistan have arrived in Afghanistan with almost no belongings, while cuts in humanitarian assistance are severely limiting aid operations.

Egeland made the remarks following a recent visit to Afghanistan, where he met with several families who had returned from Pakistan.

In a post on X, Egeland said many of the returnees had come back to Afghanistan with virtually nothing.

He said he also met mothers who were struggling to meet their children’s basic needs and who were seeking opportunities for their daughters to receive an education.

The NRC chief expressed concern over declining humanitarian assistance and a shortage of funding for the organization’s operations in Afghanistan.

According to Egeland, despite the scale of humanitarian needs across the country, the Norwegian Refugee Council’s humanitarian operations have been severely restricted due to a lack of financial resources.

The warning comes as humanitarian organizations continue to face growing pressure to support vulnerable Afghan families amid limited funding and increasing needs.

Severe cuts in international humanitarian funding have forced around 600 health facilities across Afghanistan to close or reduce services, affecting access to healthcare for about four million people, including two million children, according to Save the Children.

The closures have particularly affected remote and underserved communities, where alternative health facilities can be difficult to reach. UNICEF has also warned that funding shortages have forced some health and nutrition centres to scale back or shut down.

The World Health Organization (WHO) reported that at least 422 primary healthcare facilities, including mobile health and nutrition teams, closed in 2025 following the suspension of US funding and reductions from other donors. The closures reduced access to healthcare for an estimated 3.3 million Afghans and disrupted services including maternal healthcare and family planning.

Afghanistan’s health system remains heavily dependent on international funding. WHO estimates that 14.4 million people will need health assistance in 2026, amid poverty, displacement, disease outbreaks, food insecurity and climate-related disasters.

The funding crisis has also heightened concerns over child malnutrition. Save the Children estimates that nearly four million Afghan children are acutely malnourished, while reduced health and nutrition services are making it harder for vulnerable children to receive timely treatment.

The return of millions of Afghans from Pakistan and Iran has added further pressure, particularly in border areas. WHO has warned that large-scale returns are increasing demand for medical services and overwhelming some health facilities.

Humanitarian agencies are calling for urgent and flexible funding to maintain and restore essential health services, warning that further cuts could lead to additional closures and leave vulnerable Afghans with fewer options for basic healthcare.

The Afghan Embassy in Islamabad on Tuesday expressed concern over the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council’s decision to expel Afghan students studying medicine in Pakistan.

The embassy said the decision could have serious consequences for the education and future of students who have legally pursued their studies and are now close to completing their programs after years of effort.

The Afghan embassy called on Pakistani educational institutions and relevant international organizations to protect the educational rights of Afghan students and allow them to complete their studies without interruption.

The embassy also stressed that education, science and human relations should be kept separate from political disputes and that educational and academic opportunities should not be affected by political developments and disagreements.