Pakistan launches crackdown on illegal Afghan nationals as deadline expires

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has decided to launch a nationwide crackdown on undocumented Afghan nationals after the July 10 deadline for illegal residents to leave the country expired.

The federal government has directed authorities to accelerate the repatriation of Afghan nationals residing in Pakistan without valid visas under the Illegal Foreigners’ Repatriation Plan (IFRP) – a phased initiative by the Government of Pakistan aimed at identifying and deporting foreign nationals residing in the country without valid visas or legal documentation.

According to official directives, all Afghan nationals found staying in the country without valid visas after the expiry of the deadline will be arrested and deported. Action will also be taken against individuals found providing shelter or rental accommodation to undocumented Afghan nationals.

The Ministry of Interior had issued instructions to provincial governments, Gilgit-Baltistan, and Azad Jammu and Kashmir on June 28, directing them to intensify enforcement measures.

Deputy commissioners were instructed to use geotagging and geofencing data to trace and arrest undocumented Afghan nationals.

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Authorities in Punjab, including Rawalpindi, have completed the geotagging and geofencing of Afghan nationals to facilitate the operation.

Provincial authorities have also been directed to submit daily reports to the Ministry of Interior detailing the number of undocumented Afghan nationals arrested, the progress of the operation, and the status of those taken into custody.

Pakistan had set July 10 as the final deadline for undocumented Afghan nationals to leave the country voluntarily.

Pakistan launched its repatriation campaign 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 before a Senate committee, more than one million Afghan nationals have been repatriated from Pakistan since the campaign began.