Pakistan steps up Afghan migrant deportations

Afghan citizens living in Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province have been directed to leave the country without delay as their Proof of Registration cards expired on June 30.The Home Department of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government issued a notification on Friday, urging all Afghan citizens residing in the province holding Proof of Registration (PoR) cards to return to Afghanistan, in compliance with guidelines from the Federal Ministry of Interior.
The official notification states that the stay of Afghan nationals in Pakistan, with PoR cards expired on June 30, 2025, will be considered illegal. It adds that the Ministry of Interior had finalised the repatriation decision for PoR cardholders on July 31, 2025, and no further extension in their stay will be granted.A statement from Pakistan’s Ministry of Interior reads: “All provincial governments are instructed that from now on, the presence of Afghan nationals without valid visas and passports in Pakistan is illegal, and they must be arrested and deported.”
Meanwhile, a number of families who held valid Proof of Registration (PoR) cards have shared bitter experiences about mistreatment by Pakistani officials at the Torkham migrant camp. Ziaul Haq, one of the deportees, said: “We were very happy to return to our homeland. This is our own land. In Pakistan, Afghan refugees are treated with no dignity and are humiliated.” 
Inzamamul Haq, a 28-year-old resident of Kunar province, was recently deported with his family from Punjab after four decades of living in Pakistan. Describing his experience, he said: “When we reached the checkpoint, they demanded 200,000 Pakistani rupees. They gave us two days, took our documents, and when our vehicle arrived, they took the money, returned our documents, and deported us.”