Pakistan Ends Afghan Migrant Stay, Warns of Punishment for Illegal Return

DID Press: Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi has declared that the presence of undocumented Afghan migrants in the country has come to an end and that the nationwide process of returning them to Afghanistan is being enforced without exception. He warned that any Afghan who attempts to re-enter Pakistan illegally will face arrest and legal penalties.

Naqvi said Afghans were once “guests” in Pakistan but must now return home, adding that no province is allowed to adopt its own security policy. He stressed that the federal government’s repatriation program for undocumented migrants will be implemented uniformly across all regions.

According to The Nation, the Pakistani government has deemed all Afghan camps illegal, although some camps in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa remain open.

Naqvi further claimed that Afghan nationals were involved in all recent terrorist attacks in Pakistan and that such a situation is no longer tolerable. He urged the Taliban authorities to rein in militant groups and said Islamabad “knows very well” who is behind the security incidents in the country.

His remarks come despite earlier warnings from the United Nations that deported Afghans — especially women, former soldiers, ex-government employees, and journalists — face risks of arbitrary detention, torture, and serious human rights violations upon their return under Taliban rule.