PESHAWAR: The federal government has ordered the closure of five Afghan refugee camps in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa as part of its ongoing repatriation policy for Afghan nationals.
The Ministry of Kashmir Affairs, Gilgit-Baltistan and States and Frontier Regions (SAFRON) issued a notification on Friday confirming that three of the camps were in Haripur, one in Chitral, and one in Upper Dir. Land belonging to the sites has been transferred to the provincial government and local administrations.
Among the facilities now shut is the Panyan camp in Haripur, one of Pakistan’s largest and oldest Afghan settlements, which for nearly four decades housed more than 100,000 refugees.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has long noted that the bulk of Afghan refugees in Pakistan live in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Aid officials caution that the closures could directly affect thousands of families who have been rooted in the province for generations.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur publicly opposed the federal decision, warning against forced repatriation. He argued that humanitarian considerations and historical bonds between Afghans and local communities must be taken into account before implementing such measures.
The development follows Thursday’s denotification of the last remaining Afghan refugee camp in Punjab. Provincial authorities confirmed that the Kot Chandna camp in Mianwali was shut after they claimed to have facilitated the repatriation of nearly 43,000 Afghans since April under Pakistan’s Illegal Foreigner Repatriation Plan (IFRP).
Under the plan, Afghans without valid documents or those who overstayed were placed in holding centres until they were transported to the Torkham border.
Punjab Home Secretary Dr Ahmad Javed Qazi said all camps in the province had now been closed and that intercepted Afghans were kept in district-level facilities before being sent to Afghanistan at the government’s expense. “All Afghans residing in Pakistan have to leave except those holding valid visas,” he said.
Pakistan has hosted Afghans for decades, particularly during successive conflicts, but officials argue the continued influx places pressure on public services and raises security concerns. The UN estimates that more than 3.5 million Afghans remain in Pakistan, nearly half of them undocumented, including about 700,000 who fled after the Taliban takeover in 2021.
