Lahore: Pakistan has deported more than 2.8 million Afghan nationals since 2023, with Punjab province accounting for over 143,000 deportations, as authorities step up action against undocumented residents.
The Foreign Nationals Security Unit of Punjab’s Home Department said on Thursday that a total of 2,807,000 Afghan nationals had been sent back to Afghanistan from across Pakistan. Of these, 143,474 were deported from Punjab since September 2023.
The provincial authorities said the campaign against Afghans living without valid documentation had been intensified in accordance with the federal government’s policy, which prohibits Afghan nationals from staying in Pakistan without valid visas.
Under the ongoing operation, undocumented Afghan nationals are being detained and transferred to designated facilities across Punjab. The province currently has 39 operational detention centres, equipped to provide temporary accommodation, registration and arrangements for repatriation.
The intensified deportation campaign comes amid growing international concern over the treatment of Afghan nationals being returned to their homeland.
United Nations human rights experts have urged Pakistan to halt deportations of Afghans who could face persecution, torture or other serious human rights violations upon their return to Afghanistan.
