UNHCR Warns of Alarming Surge in Afghan Migrant Detentions in Pakistan

The UNHCR has raised alarms regarding the situation of Afghan migrants in Pakistan, revealing that over 100,000 have been detained and expelled in the first ten months of 2025—a tenfold increase from the previous year. Alarmingly, 24% of those detained possess refugee cards, indicating a troubling shift in Pakistan’s legal policies and a growing emphasis on national identity…

Over 100,000 Detained in Ten Months

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has published a report warning of a worsening crisis concerning Afghan migrants in Pakistan. According to the report, from January to October 2025, over 100,971 Afghan migrants were detained and expelled from the country. This figure represents a more than tenfold increase compared to the 9,006 recorded in 2024.

The report notes that the majority of detentions occurred in the districts of Chaghi and Quetta in Balochistan, as well as Attock in Punjab.

Targeting Registered Refugees

A concerning aspect of the UNHCR report is the legal status of those detained. Of the arrested individuals, 76% either held an Afghan Citizen Card (ACC) or had no legal documentation. However, the most shocking revelation is that 24% of those detained were refugees possessing Proof of Registration (PoR) cards.

Until this year, this group had been under the formal protection of the Pakistani government and the United Nations, making their detention seem unimaginable. This development follows two new executive orders issued by the Pakistani government this year: the first mandates the forcible removal of Afghans from the capital and surrounding areas (Islamabad and Rawalpindi), and the second extends detentions to PoR cardholders.

Concurrent Crisis in Pakistan and Iran

The UNHCR also noted a significant reduction in global cash assistance to Afghan households in Pakistan. Simultaneously, security and economic pressures on migrant communities in neighboring Iran have intensified, leading to hundreds of thousands of Afghan returns being forced this year.

Undermining Decades of Cooperation and Regional Instability Risks

The expansion of detentions to include PoR cardholders signifies a shift in Pakistan’s policies, which now seem to be becoming less dependent on the legal status of migrants and more aligned with a singular national identity narrative. This move threatens to undermine four decades of humanitarian cooperation between Pakistan and the United Nations.

Experts warn that as Afghanistan lacks the capacity to accommodate such a large influx of returnees, this trend will not only dramatically escalate the humanitarian crisis but may also lay the groundwork for regional security instability.