More than 500 Afghan nationals detained across three provinces

ISLAMABAD: Pakistani authorities detained 517 Afghan nationals across three provinces between October 11 and 17, according to a joint monitoring update issued by the International Organization for Migration and the UN refugee agency. The documented cases were concentrated in Chagai, Peshawar and Karachi.

The monitoring data covered undocumented individuals and people holding Afghan Citizen Cards or Proof of Registration documents. Undocumented Afghans and ACC holders accounted for 97% of the reported arrests and detentions during the week, while registered PoR holders represented the remaining 3%.

The agencies also recorded 3,883 returns to Afghanistan through the Torkham, Chaman and Bahramcha border crossings during the same period. This total included 499 deportations, while other people returned through voluntary or otherwise facilitated processes.

Compared with the preceding week of October 4 to 10, the number of overall returns declined by 10%, while deportations fell by 48%. The previous reporting period had recorded 4,295 returns, including 961 deportations, indicating that enforced removals slowed considerably during the latest monitored week.

Undocumented individuals represented 83% of those who returned between October 11 and 17. Afghan Citizen Card holders accounted for 9%, while Proof of Registration holders made up 8%, with many registered refugees processing their departure through voluntary repatriation centres.

Cumulative figures show that approximately 2.74 million Afghans were returned from Pakistan between September 15, 2023, and October 17, 2026. Since April 1, 2025, the recorded total has reached about 1.89 million, including 237,387 people classified as deportees.

The monitoring update identified fear of arrest as the leading reason for departure among 95% of surveyed undocumented individuals and ACC holders. The same concern was reported by 68% of PoR holders, demonstrating how enforcement activity is influencing decisions even among people possessing registration documents.

Comparable historical analysis remains limited because systematic collection of arrest and detention data for undocumented Afghans and ACC holders began only in January 2023. The available figures nevertheless provide a picture of the scale and changing pace of Pakistan’s repatriation and enforcement campaign.

The latest data will keep attention focused on documentation status, access to voluntary-return procedures and conditions at major border crossings. Future monitoring updates are expected to show whether the decline in weekly deportations represents a sustained shift or only a temporary fluctuation in enforcement activity.