ISLAMABAD: Authorities have launched a large-scale crackdown against undocumented Afghan nationals across Punjab, including Islamabad and Lahore, as part of the government’s drive to repatriate illegal migrants.
During a late-night operation in Islamabad’s Bari Imam area, police arrested 17 Afghan nationals residing in the country without legal documentation.
The operation, led by SP City at the Secretariat Police Station, faced resistance from the migrants but ended with all suspects taken into custody. Officials said the detainees would be deported to Afghanistan via the Torkham border.
Similar operations have begun across Punjab, where police are identifying undocumented Afghan residents. Authorities are geo-tagging nomadic Afghan families and verifying the identity cards of individuals suspected of registering as Pakistani citizens. Lahore officials have pledged strict action against those found using fraudulent documents.
According to police sources, the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) is assisting in cross-checking family records, as many Afghan families have lived in Pakistan for decades using Pakistani identity cards. Officials confirmed that even those holding Afghan citizen cards or temporary residence permits are being sent back.
In Faisalabad, police said the evacuation of Afghan migrants has been completed. The Foreigners Cell of Faisalabad Police reported that 448 Afghan nationals, including an additional 35 discovered during searches, have voluntarily relocated to Peshawar to avoid arrest. Officials said the city has now been declared free of Afghan residents.
The government on Friday announced that the repatriation process for Afghan nationals would be accelerated without further extensions. It also ordered the closure of all Afghan refugee camps nationwide and the establishment of additional exit points along the Pak-Afghan border to facilitate the return.
Officials said that as of October 16, more than 1.47 million Afghan nationals had been repatriated. Only those holding valid Pakistani visas will be allowed to stay, while new border crossings are being set up to speed up departures.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif instructed that the repatriation be conducted “in a dignified and humane manner,” with special care for women, children, the elderly, and members of minority groups. He also warned that harbouring or sheltering illegal Afghan residents, including allowing them to stay in guest houses, would be treated as a serious offence under Pakistani law.
