Pakistan sends back more than 680,000 Afghan nationals during repatriation drive

The repatriation of illegally residing Afghan nationals from Pakistan is continuing, with the Ministry of Interior stating that a total of 682,141 Afghan citizens have so far been sent back to Afghanistan.

According to the Interior Ministry, 69,431 Afghan Citizen Card (ACC) holders have also been repatriated. The report further states that 216,634 Proof of Registration (PoR) card holders have returned to Afghanistan from across the country. On the previous day alone, an additional 375 Afghan nationals were sent back via the Torkham Border.

The ministry added that, during the same day, 139 ACC holders and 1,224 PoR card holders were repatriated to Afghanistan.

It is worth noting that the deportation of Afghan nationals is also continuing in other countries.

In Turkey, a significant increase has been recorded in actions against illegal migrants over the past year, during which more than 152,000 Afghan nationals were arrested.

According to figures released by the Turkish Migration Authority, Afghan migrants accounted for the largest number of arrests, exceeding 42,000 individuals. After Afghan nationals, Syrian citizens were the second most arrested group, while a large number of migrants from Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and Iran were also detained.

Official data indicates that overall arrests of illegal migrants in 2025 have declined compared to the previous year. Reports show that more than 225,000 migrants were arrested across Turkey in 2024.