Afghan doctor arrested at Sahiwal Teaching Hospital over visa issue

SAHIWAL: Police arrested an Afghan national working as a postgraduate resident doctor at Sahiwal Teaching Hospital after he failed to produce a valid visa, officials said.

According to the District Police Officer (DPO), Farid Town Police took Dr Noor, a postgraduate resident in the Urology Department, into custody from Sahiwal Teaching Hospital.

The DPO said the doctor had been residing in Pakistan without a valid visa.

Hospital officials said the administration had earlier issued notices to four Afghan national doctors directing them to submit valid visas or face restrictions on entering the hospital premises.

The notices were issued to Dr Noor ul Haq (Urology), Dr Shafiqullah Shafiq (Nephrology), Dr Azizullah Zeerak (Nephrology), and Dr Noor Ahmad Omerkhil (Urology).

According to the Medical Superintendent, the action followed a letter received from the District Police Officer on June 29, based on directives issued by the Ministry of Interior and Narcotics Control regarding action against Afghan nationals residing in Pakistan without valid visas.

The hospital administration instructed the four doctors to provide valid visa documents at the earliest, warning that failure to comply would result in restrictions on their entry to the hospital until the required documents were submitted.

Officials said Dr Noor did not produce a valid visa within the stipulated period, following which Farid Town Police arrested him during duty at the hospital.

According to hospital sources, the doctor was on duty in the hospital at the time of his arrest. They said he was undergoing postgraduate residency training and that his application for a visa extension was pending.

Pakistan sets July 10 deadline for Illegal Afghan nationals, orders nationwide crackdown

On June 29, the Ministry of Interior directed all provincial governments and law enforcement agencies to take immediate action against Afghan nationals residing in Pakistan without valid visas.

Under the directive, effective from July 10, 2026, Afghan nationals found staying in the country without valid visas are to be arrested immediately as part of the government’s Illegal Foreigners’ Repatriation Plan (IFRP).

Pakistan launched its repatriation drive against undocumented foreign nationals in 2023 and expanded it in 2025 after revoking hundreds of thousands of residence permits issued to Afghan nationals.

According to official figures presented to a Senate committee, more than one million Afghan nationals have been deported from Pakistan since the campaign began.