On Sunday, Pakistan’s Interior Ministry announced a directive requiring the immediate arrest of any Afghan national discovered residing in Pakistan without a valid visa, effective July 10, 2026.
The notice, sent to the chief secretaries of all provinces, Gilgit‑Baltistan, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, and the chief commissioner of Islamabad Capital Territory, explained that the directive stems from decisions made during the June 1, 2026 review meeting on the Illegal Foreigners’ Repatriation Plan (IFRP).
It noted that the meeting instructed all provincial and special‑area administrations, along with the ICT Administration, to accelerate the repatriation and deportation of Afghan nationals—including those overstaying visas—and to enforce the IFRP rigorously.
“Effective July 10, 2026, any Afghan national discovered living in Pakistan without a valid visa will be arrested without delay,” the notification stated.
It added that the relevant instructions would be conveyed to deputy commissioners, district administrations, police, and other law‑enforcement bodies to guarantee uniform and effective implementation.
The directive further requested that, beginning July 11, 2026, a daily report be submitted to the ministry detailing the number of undocumented Afghans identified, the actions taken against them, and their current status.
“This matter must be treated as a top priority, with full compliance observed both in letter and spirit,” the notification added.
Over the past several decades, millions of Afghans have sought refuge in Pakistan, fleeing successive conflicts, while hundreds of thousands more arrived following the Taliban’s return to power in 2021.
A deportation campaign initially launched in 2023 was revived in April of the previous year after the government cancelled hundreds of thousands of residence permits for Afghans, warning that those who remained would face arrest.
Last year, Pakistan deported more than one million Afghan nationals, a fact reported to the Senate Standing Committee on Kashmir Affairs, Gilgit‑Baltistan, and States and Frontier Regions (SAFRON).
In 2025, Pakistan deported a total of 1,155,221 Afghan nationals, according to senior officials from the Ministry of Interior and the Chief Commissionerate for Afghan Refugees, who presented the figures at the meeting.
The repatriated Afghans comprised 163,429 holders of proof‑of‑registration cards, 74,943 Afghan citizen card holders, 509,671 undocumented individuals, and 407,178 voluntary returnees.
According to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), repatriations have accelerated this year, with nearly 150,000 Afghans returning to Afghanistan from Pakistan and Iran by mid‑February 2026. This adds to the 5.4 million Afghans who have returned from those two neighboring countries since October 2023.
