Despite more than 1 million people returning home from Pakistan by 2025, more than 2 million Afghan refugees are still living there. ‘Dawn’ newspaper has given this report quoting data from the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHRC).

‘Dawn’ newspaper quoted agency data as saying that in the month of November alone, 1,71,055 Afghan citizens returned to their country, out of which 37,899 were deported through Chaman, Torkham and Barabacha borders. In the same month, more than 31,500 ‘Proof of Registration’ (POR) cardholders were also repatriated to Afghanistan through UNHCR’s repatriation centres.

In November, increased tension along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border hampered humanitarian aid operations and cross-border movement remained restricted. Due to this, United Nations agencies had to temporarily withdraw from the Chaman border area.

Despite stringent implementation of the third phase of the ‘Illegal Foreign Repatriation Plan’ (IFRP) in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), UNHCR and its partners ensured essential services. These include the restoration of safe spaces for women, girls and children, as well as continuing legal and mental health support.

The Pakistan government started the IFRP scheme in September 2023, after which the return of Afghans started on a large scale. Undocumented Afghans and ‘Afghan Citizenship Card’ holders were targeted in the first (September 2023) and second (April 2025) phases of the plan. By July 2025, more than 11 lakh Afghans had returned from urban areas and refugee villages under these phases.

So far, about 1.66 lakh ‘POR’ cardholders have returned in the third phase, which started in September 2025. Since the beginning of the scheme, a total of more than 18.2 lakh Afghans have returned home. A total of 171,055 Afghans returned home during November this year, including 37,899 officially registered deportation cases.

The government has canceled official recognition of all 54 refugee villages in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan and Punjab provinces and is continuously urging Afghans to return to their country. Meanwhile, UNHCR is lobbying the government to exempt students enrolled in universities from the scheme. Although no formal policy has been issued yet for students, currently university students are being exempted from this process.

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Pakistan’s Defense Minister Khawaja Asif has targeted former Prime Minister Imran Khan. He has written an anti-Afghan post on X (formerly Twitter), in which he has alleged that Imran Khan is bringing thousands of Taliban and settling them in Pakistan. He has blamed the policies of Taliban and Imran Khan for the increasing terrorist incidents in the country. Asif further wrote in his post that even today PTI talks about talks with terrorists. Because of them, the blood of our army and people has been shed for years. He said that despite years of ongoing talks with the Afghan government and delegation visits, violence in Pakistan has not stopped and coffins of soldiers are returning to the country every day.

According to Khawaja Asif, the Pakistan government is paying the expenses of 60 years of hospitality of 60 lakh Afghan refugees with its blood. What kind of guests are these, who shed the blood of their hosts and harbor murderers? Let us tell you that this statement of Asif can further intensify the ongoing debate within Pakistan on the future of Afghan refugees, because in the last few months, the Pakistani government has warned illegal immigrants to leave the country.

Targeting Taliban and PTI

In his statement, Khawaja Asif directly attacked Imran Khan’s party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI). He alleged that the PTI leadership is pursuing pro-Taliban policies, due to which the security situation of Pakistan is continuously deteriorating. Asif said that due to the softness towards Taliban and laxity of border policy during the reign of Imran Khan, terrorist organizations like TTP (Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan) got strength again. He says that this is the same policy, due to which today both soldiers and civilians of Pakistan are paying the price of terrorism.

Impact on relations with Afghanistan

This statement of Asif has come at a time when relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan are already tense. Islamabad has repeatedly accused the Taliban government in Kabul of giving shelter to TTP terrorists carrying out attacks in Pakistan. At the same time, Kabul claims that Pakistan should not hold Afghanistan responsible for its internal problems. This rhetoric may also affect border security and trade relations between the two countries.

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The Government of Pakistan will send more than 13 lakh Afghan refugees back to their country, who are registration proof (POR) card holders. From September 1, the process of formally seating these people will be started.

According to the news of Pakistani news paper ‘The Dawn’ newspaper, the government has also sent notices to all the provinces in this matter. According to the report, on 31 July, the Interior Ministry announced that the POR card holders had become illegal residents on June 30 after the validity of his card was over. After this, the government decided to direct them. POR is the last category of Afghan citizens living legally in Pakistan without a visa.

In connection with the implementation of the valid Foreign Reporting Scheme (IFRP), the letter of August 4 of the Interior Ministry has been sent to the Chief Secretaries of the four provinces and the police chiefs as well as the administration of the Gilgit-Baltistan region of Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (POK).

The letter said, “It has been decided that the voluntary withdrawal of POR card holders will be started immediately, while the formal repatriation and exile process will be effective from September 1, 2025.” It said that the repatriation of all illegal foreign nationals including Afghan Citizen Card (ACC) holders will continue as per the earlier decision under IFRP.

In the letter, PoK officials have been instructed to provide databases of POR card holders to provincial, divisional and district committees. The letter states that the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) will provide the facility to cancel the registration of Afghan citizens returning home at transit areas and boundary terminals, while the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) will cooperate in repatriation on the specified limit posts.

Efforts to send Afghan refugees home in Pakistan started in 2023. The government then announced to deport all illegal foreigners. According to government sources, about 8,00,000 Afghan citizens have been sent back so far.

According to the United Nations Refugee High Commissioner (UNHCR), the number of Afghan refugees in Pakistan has been estimated to be more than 13 lakhs by 30 June 2025. According to the UNHCR, more than half (7,17,945) in Afghan refugee Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, while 3,26,584 in Balochistan; 1,95,188 in Punjab; 75,510 are living in Sindh and 43,154 in Islamabad.