Pakistan's interior ministry issued an order that security forces must arrest any Afghan citizen residing in the country without a valid visa. The directive, which takes effect after the deadline of the Illegal Foreigners Repatriation Plan expired, requires provincial authorities to send daily reports on arrests and relocation status to the federal interior ministry.
The measure is part of a broader campaign that has expelled more than two million Afghans since 2023. The United Nations estimates that between 1.75 million and 1.85 million Afghans still remain in Pakistan, with about 799 000 holding UN‑issued Proof of Registration cards; 64 % of those card‑holders who have left cite fear of harassment, arrest or deportation. In the last 24 hours before the deadline, roughly 3 000 people (568 families) crossed into Afghanistan.
The Pakistani government says the crackdown aims to enforce migration laws amid rising insurgent violence it attributes to Taliban support. A technical meeting on Afghan deportations was recently held in Brussels between a Taliban delegation, the European Commission and 15 EU member states.