Attachments
INTRODUCTION
In response to the Ministry of Interior's (MoI) decision of 26 September 2023 to enact an “Illegal Foreigners' Repatriation Plan”, UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency and IOM, the UN Migration Agency, have collated their data on the arrest, detention, and deportation of Proof of Registration (PoR) holders, Afghan Citizen Card(ACC)holders, and undocumented Afghan nationals as well as on the outflows of Afghan nationals at the Torkham, GhulamKhan, Chaman, Badini and Bahramcha border crossing points, to better understand the protection environment and movements of Afghan nationals returning to Afghanistan from Pakistan.
From January–February 2025, the Government of Pakistan (GoP) issued a directive, requiring Afghan nationals in Pakistan to relocate from Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) and Rawalpindi, or else face deportation. In response, on 5 February 2025, UNHCR and IOM issued a joint press statement. Further announcements followed on the implementation of the second phase of the “IFRP”, targeting ACC holders in addition to undocumented Afghans to return to Afghanistan. These decisions have resulted in an uptick in arrests, detentions and deportations of Afghan nationals, particularly in April 2025.AsofMay2025, arrests and detentions of Afghan nationals in 2025alone, have surpassed figures from2023,when the “IFRP” was first enacted.