Police in Charsadda city, Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, have detained 40 undocumented Afghan nationals as part of an operation targeting illegal foreign citizens. The detainees are being transferred to a holding center in Peshawar for legal procedures before deportation through the Torkham border crossing, as reported by local media.
Charsadda’s Deputy Commissioner, Azmatullah Wazir, mentioned that the crackdown, conducted in coordination with law enforcement agencies, is in line with immigration laws and will continue without bias. The District Police Officer, Rifatullah Khan, informed that a total of 133 Afghan nationals have been moved to the holding center in Peshawar.
The operation aligns with the Pakistani federal government’s policy on undocumented foreign nationals residing in the country. Authorities will verify the identities and legal status of the detainees before finalizing deportation formalities. Last week, 525 Afghan families were repatriated from Pakistan to Afghanistan, clearing three refugee camps in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Bannu district.
Additional Deputy Commissioner Umar Khittab Khan stated that the phased repatriation is being carried out as per the directives of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government. The focus now shifts to Afghan nationals living in rented accommodations and private residences in Bannu and surrounding areas. Efforts are underway to facilitate their swift repatriation.
Authorities are assisting Afghan families willing to return voluntarily by providing temporary transit centers and transportation to the Torkham border for repatriation. Pakistan’s Ministry of Interior had recently mandated the immediate arrest of Afghan nationals without valid visas, intensifying the deportation drive initiated in 2023 and renewed last year.
