Arrests Of Afghans In Pakistan Rise Elevenfold, Says UNHCR
Arrests of Afghan nationals in Pakistan have surged to unprecedented levels during the first ten months of this year, according to a new report by the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR).
Arrests of Afghan nationals in Pakistan have surged to unprecedented levels during the first ten months of this year, according to a new report by the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR).
The agency says 100,971 Afghans were detained between 1 January and 8 November 2025, compared with just 9,066 during the same period last year.
The report notes that before 2023, no regular data was collected on the arrest of Afghan Citizen Card holders or undocumented Afghans in Pakistan. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) began monitoring these figures in January 2023.
According to the findings, around 13,380 Afghans were arrested between 2 and 8 November alone, a 72 percent increase from the previous week. Of those detained, 76 percent were undocumented migrants or Afghan Citizen Card holders, while 24 percent were registered refugees with Proof of Registration (PoR) cards. The highest number of arrests was recorded in Quetta, Balochistan, and in Attock district in Punjab.
UNHCR and IOM also reported that 55,768 Afghans returned to Afghanistan through the Torkham, Ghulam Khan, Chaman, Badini and Bahramcha border crossings between 2 and 8 November. This reflects a 49 percent rise in voluntary returns and a 75 percent increase in deportations compared with the previous week.
The report says that from 1 April to the present, 869,448 Afghans have returned to Afghanistan, 13 percent of whom were forcibly deported. Fear of arrest is cited as the primary reason for returning among undocumented Afghans, Afghan Citizen Card holders and even some registered refugees.
Pakistan began identifying and deporting Afghans without valid documents two years ago, but the process has sharply intensified following recent border clashes between Taliban and Pakistani forces.
