KP Forms 120 Special Teams for Afghan Repatriation Drive From Nov 1

KOHAT: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has finalised preparations for a province-wide operation to identify and repatriate illegally residing Afghan nationals and other undocumented foreign citizens from November 1, 2026, with 120 special teams set to conduct coordinated operations across all 34 districts of the province, official sources said.
The move comes amid heightened security measures following the imposition of Governor’s Rule in the province and the declaration of an emergency in designated districts. Sources said the federal government had issued directives to district administrations to identify undocumented foreign nationals, verify their immigration status, collect relevant documentary evidence and facilitate their repatriation through the Torkham border.
A special control room has reportedly been established in Peshawar to coordinate and monitor the operation. As many as 120 special teams, comprising personnel from various law enforcement agencies, including police, Federal Constabulary (FC) and Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), as well as representatives of relevant government departments, have been constituted for the purpose.
According to sources, 50 teams will conduct operations in markets, bazaars and commercial centers, while the remaining 70 teams will carry out inspections in residential areas to identify illegally residing Afghan nationals and other undocumented foreigners.
Relevant authorities have also collected data on Afghan citizens residing in different cities to facilitate the identification process and ensure effective implementation of the repatriation plan.
Federal Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi has stated that Afghan refugees would be sent back to their homeland with dignity and respect following the expiry of the government-announced grace period.
Meanwhile, repatriation activities have continued in different parts of the province. In one development, 56 Afghan families comprising approximately 200 individuals were reportedly sent back to Afghanistan through the Torkham border in a single day.
In a separate incident, Karak Police detained 10 Afghan nationals residing at different locations in Teri, the main town of Tehsil Banda Daud Shah. They handed them over to the relevant authorities for further legal proceedings and deportation.
Available figures indicate that approximately 2.74 million Afghan nationals returned to Afghanistan from Pakistan between September 2023 and October 17, 2026. Of these, 3,883 reportedly returned during the week from October 11 to 17.
Separately, according to figures attributed to the UNHCR’s facilitated repatriation programme, approximately 129,000 Afghan refugees returned voluntarily to their homeland between January and September 2026, including around 14,000 who were reportedly deported.
While Pakistan is preparing to intensify its repatriation campaign, the large-scale return of Afghan nationals from neighboring countries is placing additional pressure on Afghanistan’s already fragile economy, employment market and essential services, according to the United Nations.
According to an international media report, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Afghanistan stated in a post on X that the large-scale return of Afghan nationals from Pakistan and Iran had increased pressure on employment opportunities, essential services and infrastructure in Afghanistan.
According to the agency, nearly 1.3 million Afghans, including deportees, returned from the two neighboring countries during 2026. The UNDP further reported that approximately 4.9 million Afghans returned to their homeland between 2023 and 2025, placing considerable pressure on already overstretched public resources.
The United Nations has also highlighted the number of Afghans who continue to live in neighboring countries. An estimated 4.4 million Afghans remain in Iran, including around 1.4 million undocumented individuals, while approximately 1.6 million Afghans are living in Pakistan, including an estimated 159,000 undocumented nationals, according to reported figures.
The UNDP attributed the large-scale movement of people to policy changes and economic pressures in host countries, warning that continuing returns were placing additional strain on vulnerable communities and Afghanistan’s limited infrastructure.
The humanitarian situation remains particularly concerning. The World Food Programme (WFP) estimates that approximately 19.2 million people in Afghanistan face acute food insecurity, while around four million women and children are expected to suffer from malnutrition in 2027.
The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) has also warned that many returning families are arriving with few or no resources, forcing them to settle in remote and mountainous areas, often far from roads, healthcare facilities and other essential services.
Many returnees reportedly live in makeshift shelters, including tents and temporary structures, without reliable access to clean drinking water, food or adequate housing. Limited healthcare facilities and the absence of basic identification documents have further increased their vulnerability.
Pakistan has hosted millions of Afghan nationals since the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979, throughout subsequent decades of conflict and following the Taliban’s return to power in Kabul in 2021. Over the years, more than 42 refugee camps were established in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa alone. However, these camps have since been denotified by the federal government, and almost all have been vacated. Despite this, a considerable number of Afghan nationals continue to reside in various urban and rural areas across the province.
Islamabad launched a nationwide repatriation campaign in late 2023, initially targeting undocumented foreign nationals. The campaign was subsequently expanded to include Afghan citizens holding different forms of government-issued documentation that had previously allowed them to reside in Pakistan.
The Afghan population in Pakistan falls into several documentation categories, including holders of Proof of Registration (PoR) cards, Afghan Citizen Cards (ACC) and undocumented individuals.
According to UNHCR figures cited in reports, approximately 739,000 Afghans hold PoR cards, issued by the Pakistani government to formally registered refugees. Another estimated 666,000 hold Afghan Citizen Cards, while around 159,000 are undocumented.
The latest available UNHCR figures put the total number of Afghan refugees and other Afghan nationals remaining in Pakistan at approximately 1.6 million, including around 776,000 registered refugees, 666,000 ACC holders and 159,000 undocumented individuals.
The figures reflect the scale of a population that has become part of Pakistani society over several decades. According to UNHCR, around three-quarters of registered Afghan refugees and asylum-seekers live outside designated refugee villages.
Women and children account for approximately 77 per cent of the registered refugee and asylum-seeker population, while 48 per cent are children aged between five and 17. Around eight per cent of the population is classified as having specific needs.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa hosts the largest concentration of registered Afghan refugees and asylum-seekers, with UNHCR recording 430,964 individuals in the province. Balochistan, which also shares a lengthy border with Afghanistan, hosts another 250,239.
Concerns Over Humanitarian Conditions and Reintegration
Pakistan maintains that its repatriation policy is necessary to address security and economic pressures associated with hosting a large Afghan population for decades. However, Afghan authorities, the United Nations and international human rights organisations have expressed concerns about the scale and pace of returns and the humanitarian conditions awaiting returnees.
The arrival of millions of people in a country already struggling with widespread poverty, unemployment, inadequate housing and limited access to basic services has raised concerns about Afghanistan’s capacity to accommodate and reintegrate the returning population.
The UNDP has said it is preparing targeted assistance packages for affected communities in several Afghan provinces, with particular emphasis on livelihood opportunities and improved access to essential services.
Meanwhile, Afghan authorities have stated that returning families are being provided with basic humanitarian assistance, including food rations, clean drinking water, medical care and free transportation to their respective provinces of origin.
For longer-term rehabilitation and settlement, the Afghan government has also allocated nearly 70,000 plots of land across the country to returning families.
As Pakistan prepares to launch another major phase of its repatriation campaign, the challenge will not only be to implement the policy but also to ensure proper verification of immigration documents, adherence to applicable laws and protection of vulnerable individuals, particularly women, children and families with specific humanitarian needs.
The continuing movement of Afghan nationals across the Pak-Afghan border is likely to have far-reaching implications for both countries, with security, economic and humanitarian concerns remaining central to the evolving situation.