Punjab steps up deportations of Afghans without valid visas

Authorities in Pakistan’s Punjab province have intensified operations to identify, detain and deport Afghans without valid visas, as UN human rights experts urged Pakistan to halt the return of people who could face persecution, torture or other serious rights violations in Afghanistan.

Punjab’s Home Department said security personnel are increasing checks in residential areas and markets across the province. Afghans found without legal status are being detained and transferred to holding centers before being returned to Afghanistan.

“Under the clearly defined policy of the Government of Pakistan, the stay of Afghan nationals without a valid visa is illegal,” the department said.

The department said 2,760,653 Afghans have been returned from Pakistan since the repatriation campaign began, including 142,820 from Punjab.

Authorities have also urged residents to report Afghans living without legal status.

The stepped-up operation comes amid continued tensions between Pakistan and the Taliban over security and militant activity.

Ali Karimi, an Afghan migrant rights activist, told Amu TV that the pressure on Afghans in Pakistan could not be separated from those tensions.

“The deportation of Afghan migrants from Pakistan cannot be viewed separately from political tensions between the Taliban and Pakistan,” Karimi said. “The intensification of disputes between the two sides has also increased pressure on Afghan migrants.”

Pakistan has repeatedly said the Taliban have allowed militants to operate from Afghanistan’s territory and carry out attacks in Pakistan, an allegation the Taliban deny.

UN experts warn against forced returns

The latest operations have prompted renewed concern from independent UN human rights experts, who called on Pakistan to identify Afghans who could face serious human rights violations before returning them.

The experts urged Pakistan to uphold the principle of non-refoulement, which prohibits returning people to places where they face a real risk of persecution, torture or other serious and irreparable harm.

They expressed particular concern about women and girls, unaccompanied children, human rights defenders, journalists, former judges, prosecutors and lawyers, former security personnel and others who could face serious risks upon return.

Richard Bennett, the UN special rapporteur on human rights in Afghanistan, said those groups could face heightened risks if returned.

“I am particularly concerned about women and girls, unaccompanied children, human rights defenders, journalists, former judges, prosecutors and lawyers, former security personnel and others who may face serious risks upon return,” Bennett said.

According to information cited by the UN experts, about 127,000 Afghans crossed from Pakistan into Afghanistan between July 10 and Aug. 27, including at least 14,000 who were forcibly returned. About 38,000 of the returnees were women and children.

Afghan medical students face uncertainty

The UN experts also raised concerns about Afghan students studying medicine and dentistry in Pakistan.

They said at least 100 students could be affected by orders requiring Afghan medical and dental students to return to Afghanistan, including an estimated 20 to 40 women. The experts warned that returning female students could end their prospects of becoming doctors or dentists because women are barred from higher education under Taliban restrictions in Afghanistan.

The Pakistan Medical and Dental Council issued a directive requiring Afghan students enrolled in Pakistani medical and dental colleges to return to Afghanistan. The directive has been challenged in Pakistani courts.

The Lahore High Court has temporarily suspended the return order while considering a petition filed by 13 Afghan medical students.

Afghans living in Pakistan say uncertainty over their legal status has compounded economic, educational and psychological difficulties.

Hamid Paikar, an Afghan living in Pakistan, said conditions have become increasingly difficult for migrant families.

“Unfortunately, the problems here have grown day by day,” Paikar told Amu TV. “People’s difficulties are increasing every day, and Afghan migrants face hundreds of problems in the host country.”

He said families struggle with access to education for their children as well as economic and health problems.

“Our children have not been able to attend school for four or five years,” he said. “There are economic problems, health and medical problems, and migrants have even faced depression.”

Pakistan began a nationwide campaign to return undocumented foreigners in October 2023, with Afghans making up the vast majority of those affected. The campaign has expanded as relations between Islamabad and the Taliban have deteriorated.

According to the latest UN figures cited in the report, 2.713 million Afghans returned from Pakistan between September 2023 and Sept. 5, 2026, including nearly 300,000 who were forcibly returned.

Afghan migrants in Pakistan are calling on authorities to allow them to extend or regularize their legal status and halt deportations.