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Pakistan Detains Over 100,000 Afghans in 2025: UNHCR
Nov 16, 2025Pakistan has detained more than 100,000 Afghan nationals between January 1 and mid-November 2025, according to a new report by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
Most of the arrests occurred in the Chagai and Quetta districts of Balochistan and the Attock district of Punjab, the agency said. UNHCR noted that 75 percent of those detained were either Afghan Citizen Card (ACC) holders or undocumented migrants, while 24 percent possessed Proof of Registration (PoR) cards—documents that previously offered refugees legal protection inside Pakistan.
The surge in detentions follows two government directives issued earlier this year, which ordered the removal of Afghan migrants from Islamabad and Rawalpindi and empowered police to arrest Afghans holding PoR cards, a significant shift in policy.
At the same time, UNHCR warned of a sharp reduction in cash assistance for Afghan refugees as international donor funding continues to decline. Aid agencies say the cuts have heightened the vulnerability of thousands of Afghan families who depend on such support for food, rent, and winter supplies.
Humanitarian organizations have urged the Pakistani government to ensure that any repatriation of Afghans is voluntary and conducted in line with international obligations, stressing the need to protect refugees from forced or unsafe returns.
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