Interior Ministry directs nationwide crackdown and daily reporting under repatriation plan
Pakistan’s Ministry of Interior has directed authorities across the country to immediately arrest any Afghan national residing in Pakistan without a valid visa from July 10 as part of the Illegal Foreigners’ Repatriation Plan (IFRP).
According to an official notification issued on Sunday, the directive was sent to the chief secretaries of all provinces, Gilgit-Baltistan, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, and the Islamabad Capital Territory. The ministry said the decision followed a review meeting of the IFRP held on June 1, during which authorities were instructed to accelerate the repatriation and deportation of Afghan nationals, including those who had overstayed their visas.
The notification instructed deputy commissioners, district administrations, police, and other law enforcement agencies to ensure strict and uniform implementation of the order across the country.
Authorities instructed to submit daily reports
Furthermore, the ministry directed provincial administrations to begin submitting daily reports from July 11 detailing the number of Afghan nationals found without valid visas, the action taken against them, and their current status.
Officials described the directive as a top-priority measure and instructed all relevant departments to ensure full compliance with the repatriation policy.
The latest order expands Pakistan’s ongoing campaign against undocumented foreigners, which was first launched in 2023 and later intensified after authorities withdrew residence permits for hundreds of thousands of Afghan nationals.
Deportation drive continues nationwide
According to government figures, Pakistan deported 1,155,221 Afghan nationals during 2025. The total included proof of registration card holders, Afghan Citizen Card holders, undocumented migrants, and voluntary returnees.
Meanwhile, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) reported that nearly 150,000 Afghans returned from Pakistan and Iran by mid-February 2026. The agency said those returns added to approximately 5.4 million Afghans who have gone back to Afghanistan from the two neighbouring countries since October 2023.
Millions of Afghans have sought refuge in Pakistan over the past several decades, fleeing successive conflicts and political instability in their homeland.
