PESHAWAR:
With the Eid celebrations over, operations against undocumented Afghan refugees in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa are expected to gain momentum once again, according to reliable sources.
During the Eid period, a temporary suspension of arrests was imposed to allow families to observe the holiday peacefully. Now, law enforcement agencies are prepared to restart strict actions under relevant laws, targeting those without valid documentation.
The process of closing nine Afghan refugee camps, paused during the holidays, will resume shortly after the break ends. Meanwhile, a large-scale voluntary repatriation campaign for Afghan citizens is scheduled to begin starting tomorrow, encouraging those who wish to return to Afghanistan.
For Afghan refugees holding Citizen Cards, policy-based measures have already been initiated to determine their future status. In Peshawar, a new survey has been restarted to update data on refugees, and detailed information will be collected next week.
Special attention will be paid to collecting data on refugee business owners, those who have illegally obtained Pakistani identity cards, Afghan women married to Pakistani men, and other mixed status cases. Authorities have also begun collecting data on businesses run by refugees and their assets, which are reportedly worth millions of rupees.
Sources indicate that instructions have been issued to expedite action against undocumented Afghan citizens who lack proper documents, signaling a renewed push to enforce immigration regulations in the province.
This follows an escalation of earlier crackdowns in Peshawar and other areas of KP, where thousands of people have been detained in recent months amid broader national efforts to tackle illegal foreign residency. The post-Eid phase aims to build on existing registration and repatriation initiatives while addressing administrative and security concerns.
