More than 7.40 lakh Afghans returned through KPK border in NW Pakistan, officials say

Peshawar, Sep 10 (PTI) More than 7,43,000 Afghan nationals have crossed back into Afghanistan through Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province’s borders, highest compared to any other area in Pakistan since the crackdown began this year in April.

These include 6,05,992 undocumented Afghans, 89,467 Proof of Registration (PoR) cardholders, and 48,254 Afghan Citizen Card (ACC) holders, according to the latest figures released by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Home and Tribal Affairs Department here Tuesday.

Repatriation and deportation of foreigners, particularly Afghan nationals, has continued across Pakistan unabated but the numbers have been highest for the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, through the Torkham border.

Compared to 7,43,713 repatriated from the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, merely 30,694 Afghans have been sent back from other regions including Islamabad, Punjab, and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir so far.

The process is being carried out under the supervision of provincial authorities and relevant institutions to ensure a legal and safe repatriation of Afghan nationals.

Pakistan had issued PoR cards to Afghans who were registered in collaboration with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and recognised the holder as a legal refugee in Pakistan.

The ACC cards, on the other hand, were issued to unregistered Afghans living in Pakistan, acknowledging them as Afghan nationals but without granting refugee status.

More than a million Afghans have already left Pakistan since the crackdown began in 2023, according to the UN refugee agency.

The formal repatriation process for Afghan refugees, including those with PoR cards, began on September 1, 2025 with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) being one of the provinces where the process is being implemented.

This follows the expiration of PoR cards on June 30, 2025, and is part of Pakistan's Illegal Foreigners Repatriation Plan (IFRP) launched in 2023.

After the PoR cards expired on June 30, 2025, the cardholders' continued stay in Pakistan was deemed illegal. PTI AYZ NPK NPK