UNHCR Data Shows Pakistan Has Detained Over 100,000 Afghans in 2025 Amid Surge in Returns
UNHCR Data Shows Pakistan Has Detained Over 100,000 Afghans in 2025 Amid Surge in Returns
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According to a United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) report cited by Dawn, Pakistani authorities have arrested more than 100,000 Afghan nationals between January 1 and November 8, 2025. The figure includes both undocumented individuals and holders of the Afghan Citizen Card (ACC).
More details in the following report:
The report shows a steep increase in detentions: in 2024, UNHCR recorded 9,006 arrests, and in 2023, 26,299. UNHCR noted that prior to 2023, data on ACC holders and undocumented Afghans was not collected. Since November 2023, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) has also tracked detentions, and between November 2 and 8 of this year, detention rates jumped by 72% compared to the previous week.
According to UNHCR, 76 percent of those arrested in this period were ACC holders or undocumented Afghans, while 24 percent held Proof of Registration (PoR) cards. About 41 percent of arrests were reported in Balochistan (mostly in Chagai and Quetta), and 43 percent in Punjab (notably in Attock).
The report also tracks a surge in returns to Afghanistan. From September 15, 2023, to November 8, 2025, a total of 1,723,481 people returned, UNHCR said. In just one week—from November 2 to 8—55,768 Afghans crossed back through major border points including Torkham, Chaman, Bahramcha, and Ghulam Khan.
Return and deportation numbers climbed sharply: returns rose 49 percent and deportations jumped 75 percent compared to the week before. These increases followed the reopening of the Torkham border on November 1. Among all returnees during this week, 48 percent were PoR holders, 43 percent had no documentation, and 9 percent were ACC holders. Most of the PoR returns were facilitated by UNHCR centers.
Of those deported that week, 84 percent were undocumented, 13 percent were PoR holders, and 3 percent were ACC holders. Since April 1, 2025, 869,448 Afghans have returned to Afghanistan, UNHCR said, and 115,159 (around 13 percent) of these were deported.
UNHCR also found that fear of arrest was the primary reason for returning: 93 percent of undocumented and ACC-holding Afghans, and 47 percent of PoR holders listed it as a concern. The most common points of departure were Quetta (20 percent), Attock (13 percent), and Islamabad (9 percent), while returnees most frequently said they were heading to Kunduz (19 percent), Nangarhar (18 percent), and Kabul (17 percent).
The UNHCR report also referenced several Pakistani government policies in 2025 that targeted Afghan nationals. In January, authorities ordered Afghans to leave or face deportation if they were in Islamabad or Rawalpindi. In April, officials launched the second phase of an immigrant regulation plan (IFRP), specifically aimed at ACC holders and undocumented Afghans. In July, a regulation expired the validity of PoR cards as of June 30, and a September 1 deadline was later enforced for PoR holders to depart. Police operations intensified in Balochistan: in Nokundi, for example, around 200 Afghans were detained during a raid, and in another operation, 234 were arrested and moved to a camp pending deportation.
Human-rights advocates are warning that the detentions place severe pressure on the Afghan migrant community and raise serious concerns about fundamental rights in the region.
