Pakistan Intensifies Crackdown on Afghan Migrants in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

DID Press: Pakistani authorities have stepped up efforts to remove undocumented Afghan migrants from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, launching a broad enforcement campaign that has led to arrests, home demolitions, and the displacement of dozens of Afghan families.

According to Agence France-Presse (AFP), police began a large-scale operation on 10 July targeting Afghan nationals without valid visas. During the operation, several homes belonging to Afghan residents were demolished in the Matani area near Peshawar.

Local residents said dozens of families were forced to pack their belongings and head toward the Afghan border, while others remained in hiding to avoid arrest.

Najibur Rahman, a resident of Matani, said he was unable to retrieve his father’s medication or his children’s school documents before his home was demolished. Another resident, Ahmad Mullah, said police ordered families to leave without considering their financial circumstances or humanitarian concerns.

A senior police official in Peshawar, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the operation against undocumented Afghan migrants began on 10 July and remains ongoing. He added that authorities had identified Afghan residential areas across the province before launching the campaign.

According to United Nations data, around 2.3 million Afghan nationals have returned from Pakistan since Islamabad launched its repatriation programme in 2023. Many had lived in Pakistan for decades, while others fled there following the Taliban’s return to power in 2021.