Pakistan says 2.8 million Afghans repatriated as crackdown turns to remaining 1.42 million
Punjab officials say 143,474 Afghans have been repatriated from the province, taking the national total past 2.8 million, as Islamabad prepares an intensified phase targeting the remaining 1.42 million.
Pakistan has repatriated more than 2.8 million Afghans since launching its nationwide deportation campaign three years ago, officials said on Wednesday, 4 November 2026, while about 1.42 million Afghans still in the country now face the prospect of deportation as the crackdown intensifies.
The latest figures came from the Punjab Home Department, which said 143,474 Afghan nationals had been repatriated from Punjab alone, contributing to a national total of 2,807,250, according to the Associated Press of Pakistan, reported by UrduPoint. Arab News, reporting the same departmental statement, put the national figure at more than 2.8 million.
News18, citing top security sources, reported that Islamabad is preparing a fresh phase of the operation aimed at the remaining 1.42 million Afghans, through tighter scrutiny, door-to-door searches and increased enforcement across the country, with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa emerging as a particular focus. The report said the push includes raids and property seizures, and risks deepening an already fragile relationship with the Afghan Taliban.
According to the Punjab Home Department, the campaign in that province alone has involved more than 400,000 search operations in residential areas and markets. Thirty-nine holding centres are currently operating across Punjab, housing 153 Afghan nationals awaiting repatriation, who are handed over to Afghan authorities at the Torkham border crossing.
The department said that under government policy, the stay of Afghan nationals without a valid visa is illegal, and that its Foreign Nationals Security Wing is continuing effective monitoring and coordination of the drive. Citizens have been urged to report cases of illegal stay, identity fraud or suspicious activity to emergency helpline 15.
The campaign began in 2023, following a surge in deadly militant attacks, including suicide bombings that Islamabad blamed partly on Afghan nationals. Pakistan accuses the Taliban government in Kabul of harbouring militants who launch attacks across the border, an accusation the Taliban deny, and the dispute has become one of the main sources of tension between the two neighbours.
The renewed drive has drawn concern from the United Nations refugee agency, UNHCR, which has warned of the risks of mass returns. Earlier reporting on the campaign noted that at least 1.2 million Afghans had already been forced to return from Pakistan and Iran in the course of one year, raising concerns about pressure on housing, jobs and schools in Afghanistan, which has been under Taliban rule since 2021.
The figures reported on Wednesday also arrived alongside a separate legal development in the United States. Arab News reported that a day earlier, US District Judge Valerie Caproni in New York had temporarily blocked the Trump administration's plans to deport detained Afghans to Afghanistan or through Pakistan, after warnings that some could face persecution, torture or death. The US government told the court it had no chartered or commercial flights scheduled to deport Afghans to Afghanistan or Pakistan before the end of the week, and the judge's order, which expires on Saturday, requires officials to stick to that assurance.
Readers should note a small difference in the totals being quoted: News18 reported about 2.79 million Afghans sent back so far, while the Punjab Home Department's statement gives 2,807,250. The gap reflects different reporting times and sources, but both figures point to the same picture, a campaign that has already returned roughly 2.8 million people, with roughly 1.4 million still to be dealt with.
What comes next is the intensified phase itself. If the enforcement described by security sources proceeds as reported, the remaining Afghan population in Pakistan will face closer checks on documentation, more search operations and, for those without valid visas, transfer to holding centres and onward repatriation across the border, while humanitarian agencies and the Taliban government watch how the process is carried out.
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