Undocumented Immigrants Deportation Operation

[hydrabadi_arab]

Over 2,000 Afghans detained in crackdown​

A photo of KP Police personnel. PHOTO: FILE

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PESHAWAR:
In the wake of heightened tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan, law enforcement agencies in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa have detained more than 2,000 Afghan nationals during a targeted crackdown on undocumented foreigners.

Prosecution sources confirmed that cases were registered against the detainees under Section 14 of the Foreigners Act. Magistrates' courts subsequently ordered their transfer to jails on judicial remand.


The operation, which began on February 27 and continued until March 4, focused primarily on Peshawar, Nowshera, and Charsadda districts. In Peshawar alone, around 1,600 Afghan residents, including those without legal status, were taken into custody. An additional approximately 400 were arrested in Nowshera and Charsadda combined.

The crackdown was part of broader efforts to address security concerns and enforce immigration laws amid ongoing border disputes and the closure of key crossing points, such as Torkham.

According to official sources, the operation has been temporarily suspended from March 4 until Eidul Fitr, owing to the border shutdown and related challenges that prevent deportations and create administrative complications, including overcrowding in detention facilities.

Police and provincial authorities have described the pause as a temporary administrative measure, not a permanent policy change, to manage the situation during the holy month of Ramazan and upcoming Eid celebrations.

Looks like KPK is now getting serious, about time.

 

[ST1976]

Pakistan began mass deportations of undocumented Afghan nationals in October 2023, targeting over 4 million foreigners, of which 98% were Afghans without valid visas. This campaign forced hundreds of thousands of people to return to Afghanistan, affecting a large population that had fled to Pakistan over previous decades.

Key details regarding the deportation of Afghans from Pakistan include:
Action Initiated: In October 2023, Pakistan announced a plan to deport foreign nationals lacking legal documentation or having overstayed their visas.

Target Population: The policy primarily targeted the estimated 3.8 to 4.4 million Afghan nationals residing in Pakistan.

Context: Afghans made up 98% of the foreign nationals in the country, and this move was part of broader efforts to manage the refugee population, of which 90% are hosted by Pakistan and Iran.

Impact: The crackdown resulted in a mass exodus of undocumented Afghans back to their home country

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Pakistan is closed.

 

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Crackdown on Afghans set to intensify in K-P after Eid holidays​

Our Correspondent

PESHAWAR:
With Eid celebrations concluded, operations against undocumented Afghan refugees across Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa are expected to gain momentum once again, according to reliable sources.

A temporary halt on arrests had been imposed during the Eid period to allow families to observe the festival peacefully. Now, law enforcement agencies are poised to restart strict actions under relevant laws, targeting those without valid documentation.

The process of closing nine Afghan refugee camps, paused during the holidays, will resume shortly after the break ends. Meanwhile, a large-scale voluntary repatriation drive for Afghan nationals is scheduled to begin from tomorrow, encouraging those willing to return to Afghanistan.

For Afghan refugees holding Citizen Cards, policy-based measures have already been initiated to determine their future status. In Peshawar, a fresh survey to update refugee data has recommenced, with detailed information to be compiled over the coming week.

Special focus will be placed on gathering particulars of business-owning refugees, those who have illegally obtained Pakistani identity documents, Afghan women married to Pakistani men, and other mixed-status cases. Authorities have also started collecting data on the businesses operated by refugees and their assets, reportedly worth millions of rupees.

Sources indicate that instructions have been issued to expedite actions against undocumented Afghan nationals who lack proper papers, signaling a renewed push to enforce immigration regulations in the province.

This development follows earlier intensified crackdowns in Peshawar and other areas of K-P, where thousands were detained in recent months amid broader national efforts to address illegal foreign residency. The post-Eid phase aims to build on existing registration and repatriation initiatives while addressing security and administrative concerns.

 

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Afghan repatriations suspended after border security official injured at Torkham​

Ibrahim Shinwari
March 27, 2026

PESHAWAR: Repatriation of undocumented Afghan nationals was abruptly suspended on Friday after a border security official was injured in a late evening cross-border attack from the Afghan side on Thursday.

The Torkham border crossing between Pakistan and Afghanistan was reopened on Thursday for the return of stranded and illegal Afghan nationals, after having remained closed since February 26 with the launch of Operation Ghazab lil-Haq.

However, security officials at Torkham said local paramilitary forces went on high alert due to the injury of an FC official at the Awal Khan post near the border. The incident took place around 9:30pm on Thursday evening.

Sources at Torkham and the Hamza Baba transit point said that although the entire staff of the National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra), the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), National Logistics Corporation (NLC), police and other government departments was present at the transit point and Torkham, they were directed to immediately stop the registration of undocumented Afghans.


They said that around 220 undocumented Afghans were registered on Thursday and later sent back to their country via the Torkham border.