Eventually, the federal government has made a sane and strategic decision: to immediately repatriate all Afghans living in Pakistan and not grant any further extensions in their stay. This long-overdue move should have been implemented decades ago. Yet, as the saying goes, “better late than never.” The decision to send back millions of Afghans to their homeland is expected to have salutary effects on Pakistan’s law and order situation and overall stability.
The decision was taken in a recent meeting chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. It comes at a particularly critical juncture in Pakistan-Afghanistan relations — following a week-long border conflict between the two countries in which several security personnel, terrorists, and civilians lost their lives. The timing suggests that the government’s move is a direct response to these violent confrontations. One can only hope that the federal government will stand firm on this policy and implement it in letter and spirit. For decades, the presence of millions of Afghan refugees has posed a grave security risk to Pakistan, particularly in the relatively underdeveloped provinces of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Balochistan, where law and order has long remained fragile. Therefore, the repatriation process must proceed on a war footing.
When Pakistan first decided, in November 2023, to begin sending back more than four million Afghans — both legal and illegal residents, starting with the latter category — it was based on credible evidence of Afghan involvement in numerous terrorist and criminal activities across the country. Being foreigners, Afghans have been difficult for Pakistani authorities to monitor and control effectively. This challenge led law enforcement and security agencies to recommend their repatriation, arguing that it was impossible to restore order in KP and Balochistan without removing this destabilising element. Nevertheless, the November 2023 decision was already decades late.
According to the briefing presented in the recent meeting chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, as of October 16, 2025, a total of 1,477,592 Afghan nationals had been repatriated. However, no precise figure was provided for the number of illegal Afghans who have left. It is believed that around half a million have returned so far, but the actual number of undocumented Afghans still residing in Pakistan may exceed two million.
One of the most crucial outcomes of the federal meeting was the reaffirmation of Islamabad’s resolve not to extend the stay of any Afghans living in Pakistan. The decision to deny further extensions had been made earlier in August 2025. Over the past 40 years, successive governments in Pakistan have repeatedly granted open-ended extensions to Afghan refugees, both registered and unregistered. This recurring leniency had created a sense of permanence, with many Afghans and even Pakistanis believing that Afghan refugees had acquired a lasting abode in Pakistan — despite repeated government announcements, including in October 2023, of their eventual repatriation.
In August 2025, Pakistan took a decisive step by refusing to grant another extension and ordering the expulsion of 1.3 million Afghans holding Proof of Registration (PoR) cards issued by the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA). These PoR cardholders represented the last group of Afghan refugees legally residing in Pakistan without visas. The formal repatriation drive for PoR holders commenced on September 1, 2025.
In preparation, the interior ministry had earlier instructed provincial governments to begin mapping PoR cardholders and developing repatriation action plans. On August 4, the ministry issued a detailed letter to the chief secretaries and police chiefs of all provinces, as well as to Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir, outlining the Illegal Foreigners Repatriation Plan (IFRP). The letter directed that voluntary returns begin immediately, followed by formal deportations from September 1. The NADRA was tasked with deregistering returning Afghans at transit points, while the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) was instructed to facilitate repatriation at designated border crossings. The ministry also called for the establishment of transit centres, transportation arrangements, and financial support mechanisms for deportees.
During the recent meeting on Afghan repatriation, Prime Minister Sharif once again urged all provinces to extend full cooperation in implementing the plan. The forum decided that all recommendations presented would be strictly enforced. Encouragingly, after months of hesitation, the PTI-led provincial government in KP — which hosts the largest Afghan population — has now pledged full cooperation. Addressing the KP Assembly on October 20, Chief Minister Sohail Afridi announced that the provincial government would support the federal plan for the return of Afghan refugees and coordinate closely with federal authorities to ensure smooth execution.
With KP’s unequivocal support, there should now be no significant impediment to completing the repatriation process. The province’s population has overwhelmingly welcomed the move, viewing it as a necessary step to restore peace and economic balance. For years, KP’s residents have suffered the consequences of terrorism and criminal activity linked to elements within the Afghan refugee population. Economically too, the province has borne an immense burden from hosting millions of Afghans.
Following the recent border clashes, in which the Afghan Taliban government displayed hostility and intransigence toward Pakistan, public sentiment across the country has hardened. Pakistanis are no longer willing to tolerate the continued presence of millions of Afghans on their soil. This shift in policy and perception marks a decisive moment in Pakistan’s long and troubled relationship with Afghan refugees — one that could redefine national security and regional stability for years to come.