Pakistan Orders Removal of Foreign Nationals from Civil Registration Records

Pakistan’s Interior Minister has directed the country’s National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) to identify all foreigners who have successfully obtained Pakistani identity cards and to remove their names from the national database. He also emphasized the agency’s cooperation in the deportation process of undocumented individuals.

Mohsin Naqvi made these remarks on Tuesday during a meeting with NADRA officials in Islamabad, stating that the immediate identification of these individuals must be guaranteed. According to him, cleansing identity data is part of the Pakistani government’s efforts to enforce its policy of repatriating undocumented foreign nationals.

Since November 1, 2023, Pakistan has initiated the process of returning foreigners without valid residency documents. According to Pakistani officials, approximately 1.3 million Afghans have been deported from the country during this period.

This process had been halted since February 27, 2026, due to tensions between Islamabad and Kabul, but recently Pakistan has reopened the Torkham border crossing unilaterally to facilitate the expulsion of migrants. Torkham is one of the most important border crossings between the two countries, and any changes in its status directly affect the movement and fate of thousands of Afghan migrants.