Pakistan is tightening enforcement of its Illegal Foreigners' Repatriation Plan ahead of a 10 July deadline, after which Afghan nationals living in the country without valid visas face immediate arrest under an Interior Ministry directive.
The directive, issued following a 1 June review meeting on the repatriation plan, instructs provincial governments, the Gilgit-Baltistan administration and the Islamabad administration to accelerate the deportation of undocumented Afghan nationals and visa overstayers.
Authorities have also been instructed to submit daily reports from 11 July detailing enforcement measures and the immigration status of those detained.
Pakistan says the measures are intended to enforce immigration laws and address security concerns, alleging that militants involved in attacks inside the country have operated from Afghan territory. The Taliban authorities have consistently rejected the allegations.
Authorities in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, which shares a long border with Afghanistan, say province-wide operations targeting undocumented Afghan nationals will begin on 10 July.
Official sources said more than 14,000 Afghan families returned to Afghanistan between 1 July and 6 July as preparations intensified ahead of the enforcement deadline.
Authorities have also strengthened holding centres and administrative arrangements at several locations to process returnees.
Pakistan has hosted millions of Afghans since the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979, with hundreds of thousands more arriving after the Taliban returned to power in 2021. The repatriation campaign, launched in October 2023, has been implemented in phases as Islamabad has tightened immigration enforcement.
Afghan nationals in Pakistan include registered Proof of Registration (PoR) cardholders, Afghan Citizen Card (ACC) holders, visa holders and undocumented migrants, each subject to different legal arrangements. The latest Interior Ministry directive applies to Afghan nationals residing in Pakistan without valid visas.
According to Pakistani officials, 1,155,221 Afghan nationals were repatriated during 2025.
The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) says nearly 150,000 Afghans returned from Pakistan and Iran by mid-February 2026, bringing the total number of returns from both neighbouring countries since October 2023 to 5.4 million.
UNHCR has called for returns to remain voluntary, safe and dignified, while human rights organisations have expressed concern over forced deportations.
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