ISLAMABAD: At least 190 Afghan refugees have been rounded up by the authorities in the federal capital as a part of an ongoing crackdown, a civil society group said on Thursday.

In a series of posts on X (formerly Twitter), the Joint Action Committee for Refugees claimed that a ‘massive crackdown’ was underway in the twin cities and scores of Afghans had been detained by the police, regardless of whether they possessed Proof of Registration (PoR), Afghan citizen cards (ACC), or a valid visa.

“JAC has learned that many police stations have arrested Afghan refugees and detained them without due process. Around 190 Afghans are being kept in Haji Camp Islamabad,” it said, calling the action a violation of the recent Islamabad High Court order.

In an order issued earlier this week, IHC Justice Inam Minhas has restrained authorities from harassing refugees and asked them to act in accordance with the law.

IHC orders police not to harass Afghan migrants, act in accordance with the law

“Through instant writ petition, the petitioners being users of Pakistan Origin Card, seeks direction to the respondents restraining them from harassing or forcibly evicting the petitioners from houses (in Pakistan) in any manner until the expiry of the extended period, as specified in the notification dated 22.07.2024, which grants the petitioners the right to reside in Pakistan until 30.06.2025,” read the ruling.

The move follows directions issued after a series of meetings chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, which called on authorities to move registered Afghan refugees out of Islamabad and Rawalpindi and gradually repatriate them.

A police official, requesting anonymity, claimed that they had nothing to do with the ongoing crackdown, rather, they only “stand guard” outside the Haji Camp detention centre.

The official said that the immigrants rounded up by the district administration are brought to the facility, from where they are transported to the border for deportation.

Dawn reached out to the Islamabad deputy commissioner for comment, but no response was received until going to press.

A female refugee, who spoke on the condition of anonymity fearing repercussions, said police had been rounding up Afghan refugees on a daily basis from the twin cities and taking them to the Haji Camp, on the outskirts of the federal capital.

The refugee, who moved to Pakistan in July 2022, claimed she was also detained by authorities at Haji Camp for one day, but was allowed to leave after she submitted documentation proving that she had a legal right to remain in Pakistan.

According to the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), which tracks the repatriation of Afghans, over 18,000 returned to their country from the twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad in January this year, with repatriations in the second fortnight of the month slightly higher than the first fortnight.

In 2024, around 315,100 returned to Afghanistan. Among these, undocumented Afghans represent the largest category of returnees (257,447), followed by PoR holders (42,929) and Afghan Citizen Card (ACC) holders (5,770).

Published in Dawn, March 7th, 2025