UN Reports Surge in Afghan Migrant Detentions in Pakistan: A Humanitarian Crisis Unfolds

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNCHR) warned that in the first ten months of the year 2025, more than 100,000 Afghan migrants have been detained and expelled in Pakistan, a figure that has increased tenfold compared to the previous year. This alarming report indicates that 24% of those detained had refugee registration cards (PoR), an action that reflects the weakening of legal policies and a narrow focus on national identity in Pakistan…

More than 100,000 Arrested in Ten Months

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNCHR) published a report warning about the escalating crisis of Afghan migrants in Pakistan. According to this report, more than 100,971 Afghan migrants have been detained and expelled from the country in the first ten months of 2025. This figure shows an increase of more than ten times compared to the year 2024, which recorded 9,006.

According to the findings of this report, the highest number of arrests occurred in the districts of Chagai and Quetta in Balochistan province and in Attock district in Punjab province.

Targeting Holders of Refugee Registration Cards

A concerning part of the UNCHR report pertains to the legal status of those detained. Among the detained individuals, 76% possessed an Afghan card (ACC) or lacked legal documentation; however, the most shocking aspect is that 24% of those arrested were holders of refugee registration cards (PoR).

This group had been under the official protection of the Pakistani government and the UN until this year, and their detention was considered unimaginable. This shift occurred following the issuance of two new executive orders by the Pakistani government this year: the first being the forced expulsion of Afghans from the capital and adjacent areas (Islamabad and Rawalpindi) and the second being the expansion of detentions to PoR cardholders.

Simultaneous Crisis in Pakistan and Iran

UNCHR also pointed out that global cash assistance to Afghan households in Pakistan has significantly decreased. At the same time, the security and economic pressures on migrant communities in the neighboring country, Iran, have also intensified; where hundreds of thousands of Afghans have faced forced return this year.

Weakening of Cooperation Records and Risk of Regional Instability

The expansion of detentions to PoR cardholders indicates that Pakistan’s policies are now shaped not by the legal status of migrants but solely by their national identity. This step could undermine Pakistan’s four-decade history of humanitarian cooperation with the UN.

Experts warn that as Afghanistan lacks the capacity to accommodate such a volume of returning population, this trend not only significantly exacerbates the humanitarian crisis but also increases the potential for security instability in the region.