Pakistan renews crackdown on undocumented Afghans after deadline
Islamabad says it is enforcing immigration rules, while the UN says returnees include migrants, refugees and Afghan citizen card holders.
By Daniel Okafor · Business Editor
2 min read
Pakistan has launched a new crackdown on Afghans without regular immigration status after another government deadline to leave the country passed. Al Jazeera reported that Islamabad says the operation is tied to immigration enforcement and security concerns, while thousands of people remain affected.
The removals matter because many Afghans in Pakistan fled conflict and instability across the border. According to the UN, hundreds of thousands of Afghans have gone back to Afghanistan under the campaign, including undocumented migrants, registered refugees and holders of Afghan citizen cards.
Islamabad cites security and immigration rules
Pakistani authorities have defended the campaign against criticism by saying they are applying the country’s immigration laws, Al Jazeera reported. Officials have also linked the policy to national security, a point Islamabad has used as tensions with Kabul have grown.
The latest phase follows the expiry of a government deadline for undocumented Afghans to depart. Al Jazeera said Pakistan has returned thousands of undocumented migrants as part of the enforcement push.
The campaign has unfolded during a period of worsening political friction between Pakistan and Afghanistan. Al Jazeera reported that the deportations have coincided with rising tensions between Islamabad and Kabul, raising questions over the role of politics in the dispute between the neighbours.
UN says returnees include several categories
The UN has described the group returning to Afghanistan as broader than undocumented migrants alone, according to Al Jazeera. It says the returnees include refugees and Afghan citizen card holders as well as people without formal immigration papers.
That distinction has added to concern over the scale and impact of the removals. Hundreds of thousands of Afghans have returned to a country they had previously fled, Al Jazeera reported, putting pressure on Kabul as it receives large numbers of people crossing back.
Afghanistan’s ability to absorb the returnees has become part of the debate around the crackdown. Al Jazeera framed the issue around how Kabul is handling the influx and whether the political dispute between the two governments is driving the rising tension.
Debate focuses on politics and security
Al Jazeera examined the issue in a programme hosted by Scott McLean. The guests were Obaidullah Baheer, an adjunct lecturer at the American University of Afghanistan; Kamran Bokhari, a senior fellow with the Middle East Policy Council in Washington, DC; and Zahid Mahmood, a Pakistani defence analyst and former senior officer of the Pakistan Army.
The discussion centred on Pakistan’s stated security rationale, the legal status of Afghans living in the country and Kabul’s response to returning families. Al Jazeera published the programme on July 11, 2026.
This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.