Interior ministry orders crackdown on undocumented Afghans from July 10

ISLAMABAD: The Ministry of Interior issued a directive on Sunday to arrest any Afghan national found residing in Pakistan without a valid visa from July 10, 2026.

In a notification sent to chief secretaries of all provinces, Gilgit-Baltistan, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, and the chief commissioner of Islamabad Capital Territory, the ministry referred to decisions taken during a review meeting on the Illegal Foreigners’ Repatriation Plan on June 1, 2026.

The meeting directed all provincial governments, special area governments, and the Islamabad Capital Territory Administration to expedite the repatriation and deportation of Afghan nationals, including visa overstay cases, and to ensure implementation of the plan.

Daily reports required from authorities

The notification stated that, with effect from July 10, 2026, any Afghan national found residing in Pakistan without a valid visa shall face arrest. It directed deputy commissioners, district administrations, police, and other law enforcement agencies to ensure uniform implementation of the orders.

Authorities must furnish daily reports to the ministry from July 11, 2026, detailing the number of Afghan nationals found without valid visas, the actions taken against them, and their present status.

The ministry designated Usman Hafeez Cheema as the focal person for receiving reports and coordinating implementation. The notification described the matter as one that requires top priority and compliance in letter and spirit.

Background of Afghan presence and prior deportations

Millions of Afghans entered Pakistan over past decades, with hundreds of thousands arriving after the return of the Taliban government in 2021. A deportation drive launched in 2023 continued in April 2025 when the government rescinded hundreds of thousands of residence permits for Afghans and warned of arrests if they did not leave.

In 2025, Pakistan deported a total of 1,155,221 Afghan nationals, according to information provided to a Senate Standing Committee on Kashmir Affairs, Gilgit-Baltistan and States and Frontier Regions.

The deportees included 163,429 proof of registration card holders, 74,943 Afghan citizen card holders, 509,671 undocumented individuals, and 407,178 voluntary returnees.

According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, repatriations increased in the current year, with nearly 150,000 Afghans returning home from Pakistan and Iran by mid-February 2026. These returns formed part of the 5.4m Afghans who returned to Afghanistan from the two neighbouring countries since October 2023.