ISLAMABAD: Undocumented Afghan nationals continue to be arrested by authorities, and a joint report of IOM and UNHCR says over the past one week, 517 Afghans were arrested from three districts of Balochistan, Sindh and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.
Out of all arrests and detentions during October 11 to 17, ACC holders and undocumented Afghans from Chagai, Peshawar and Karachi represented 97 per cent of the total arrests and detentions, while Proof of Registration (POR) holders represented 3 per cent. About 56pc of the total reported arrests and detentions took place in Balochistan, 34pc in Punjab and 10pc in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.
The report says prior to 2023, there was no data collected on the arrest and detention of Afghan Citizen Card (ACC) holders or undocumented Afghan nationals. Since January 2023, IOM has started to collect the data.
Findings of the report show cumulatively, from Sept 15, 2023 to Oct 17, 2026, about 2,744,068 Afghans have been sent back to their country from Pakistan.
Between Oct 11 and 17, UNHCR and IOM estimate 3,883 Afghans returned through the Torkham, Chaman and Bahramcha border crossing points to Afghanistan.
Between October 11 and 17, the number of returns decreased by 10pc and deportations by 48pc — compared to the previous week of October 4 to 10, 2026 (4,295 returns including 961 deportations). Between Oct 11 and 17, a total of 3,883 returns were reported, including 499 deportations. Compared to the previous week, deportations decreased significantly, while returns decreased only moderately, report says.
Among those who returned between Oct 11 and 17, most were undocumented (83pc) followed by ACC holders (9pc) and PoR holders (8pc). Majority of the PoR returns were processed by UNHCR through the Voluntary Repatriation Centres (VRCs).
Among those deported between Oct 11 and 17, most were undocumented (99pc) followed by PoR holders (1pc) and ACC holders (1pc). Since April 1, 2025, 1,890,035 Afghans returned, of which 237,387 (13pc) were deported.
During the period, fear of arrest remained the main reason for return among undocumented individuals and ACC holders (95pc) as well as for PoR holders (68pc).
Published in Dawn, October 24th, 2026
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