Pakistan Launches Post-Eid Operations to Deport Undocumented Afghan Migrants

Pakistan has initiated extensive operations following Eid to deport Afghan migrants lacking legal documents, with security institutions in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa announcing strict measures for their identification, arrest and deportation.

A comprehensive voluntary return program for Afghan citizens is set to begin on Wednesday, aimed at encouraging those wishing to return to Afghanistan. In Peshawar, the census process for Afghan migrants without legal documents has resumed, with authorities planning to gather more precise information over the coming week.

Special attention is being given to migrants who have illegally obtained Pakistani ID cards, Afghan women married to Pakistani men, and others with shared or complex legal status. Authorities have also started collecting data on the commercial activities and assets of these migrants.

Sources told the Daily Dawn that directives have been issued to accelerate actions against Afghan citizens without documents, recommending that arrest operations be conducted faster than before.

The Taliban's Ministry of Refugees and Repatriates previously announced that more than 3 million Afghans have been forcibly and voluntarily returned to the country this year from Iran, Pakistan and Turkey.