Pakistani police intensified arrests and expulsions of Afghan refugees in Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: The arrests of Afghan refugees in various cities of Pakistan, especially in Islamabad, have recently intensified. Some refugees in Islamabad report that a nationwide crackdown on undocumented migrants has escalated, with police daily detaining many and transferring them to the Haji camp, a temporary refugee facility. A source in Pakistan stated that police have formed operational groups in Islamabad to arrest migrants whose legal stay has expired, as well as those holding “POA” cards. According to the source, detainees are biometrically processed after being moved to the Haji camp and then returned to Afghanistan. The source also indicated that in Rawalpindi, migrants are being taken to police detention facilities, where in some cases they are released after paying a fee. It was noted that documents issued by foreign embassies for awaiting transfers, along with registration cards from the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), hold no validity with Pakistani police, leaving refugees universally exposed to arrest and expulsion. This comes at a time when the process for renewing Afghan migrants’ visas in Pakistan has been halted since June 2025. Currently, hundreds of Afghan refugees, including journalists, civil society activists, and former government military personnel who fled to Pakistan due to security threats after the fall of the republic are facing the danger of arrest and expulsion while awaiting transfer to a third country.