Govt orders crackdown on Afghan nationals living without visas
Key takeaways
- The ministry said that "with effect from 10 July, 2026, any Afghan national found residing in Pakistan without a valid visa shall be arrested immediately."
- It further requested that a daily report — indicating the number of Afghan nationals found without valid visas, the action taken against them, and their present status — be furnished to the ministry, commencing July, 11.
- The directive is dated Sunday, the day after a deadly attack on Pakistan Rangers (Sindh) camp in Karachi left three Rangers personnel martyred and four others injured.
Why this matters: local context for readers following news across Pakistan and the region.
Home latest pakistan world sports showbiz entertainment Royal business health Sci-Tech Food Fact Check big picture Videos shows Watch LIVE TV X Home Latest Pakistan World Sports Showbiz Fact Check big picture Videos Shows LIVE TV Pakistan Govt orders crackdown on Afghan nationals living without visas Interior ministry orders arrest of "any Afghan national found residing in Pakistan without valid visa" from July 10 By Maryam Nawaz | Published June 29, 2026
Make us preferred on Google Afghan citizens wait with their belongings to cross into Afghanistan at Friendship Gate of Chaman Border Crossing along the Pakistan-Afghanistan Border in Chaman, Balochistan, October 31, 2023. — ReutersInterior ministry sends letter to provinces, all territories.Interior ministry seeks daily report on Afghan nationals.Ministry directs LEAs to expedite deportation of Afghans.The interior ministry has ordered law enforcement agencies nationwide to arrest Afghan citizens without visas from July 10 as part of an intensifying deportation drive.
In a letter dated July 28 — addressed to all four provinces, Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan and Islamabad administrations — the ministry directed law enforcement agencies to "expedite the repatriation/deportation" of Afghan nationals living illegally in the country.