Pakistan Launches Major Operation to Detain and Deport Afghan Refugees in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
In 34 districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in Pakistan, a large-scale operation has been underway since November 1 to identify, detain, and deport Afghan refugees and others residing without legal documentation. This effort involves 120 special teams, with 50 teams searching markets and commercial centers and 70 others conducting sweeps in residential areas.
Members of these teams include police forces, border consular officials, the Federal Investigation Agency, and other Pakistani government agencies. A special coordination and monitoring center for the operation has been established in the city of Peshawar.
The operation comes amid data from the United Nations indicating that around 1.6 million Afghan refugees live in Pakistan, with only a small fraction holding official identification cards, and approximately 159,000 living without any documentation.
The United Nations and human rights organizations have expressed deep concern over the speed and scale of the refugee repatriation process, emphasizing the need to uphold the human rights and dignity of people in vulnerable situations. These agencies have warned that excessive pressure on refugees could exacerbate the humanitarian crisis in the region.
