ISLAMABAD: The returns of Afghans from Pakistan are expected to rise in coming months following the signing of a Statutory Regulatory Order on the repatriation of Afghans by the interior ministry which confirmed that the validity of Proof of Registration cards expired on June 30 this year, and rendered the continued stay of PoR cardholders as unlawful.

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) says in its report, ‘Afghanistan Returnees Overview’ that around 1.4 million Afghan PoR cardholders currently remain in Pakistan.

As of July 26, an estimated 1,668,000 Afghans have returned to Afghanistan in 2025, including 1,280,000 from Iran and 389,000 from Pakistan. Between July 1 and 26 alone, approximately 539,000 individuals returned from Iran, accounting for almost one-third of the overall number of people that have returned from Iran so far this year.

During the reporting period (July 20-26), daily arrivals from Iran averaged around 11,000. In contrast, returnees from Pakistan during the same period averaged 1,100 per day.

PoR cardholders cannot stay any longer as document expired on June 30

From January–February 2025, the government issued a directive, requiring Afghan nationals in Pakistan to relocate from Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) and Rawalpindi, or else face deportation. Further announcements followed on the implementation of the second phase of the “IFRP”, targeting ACC holders in addition to undocumented Afghans to return to Afghanistan.

These decisions have resulted in an uptick in arrests, detentions and deportations of Afghan nationals, particularly in April 2025. At present, the PoR card validity is yet to be extended, following its expiry on 30 June 2025.

Published in Dawn, August 5th, 2025