LAHORE: The federal government has denotified the last Afghan refugee camp in Mianwali as Punjab claims to have repatriated around 42,913 Afghan nationals since April 1, 2025.
The Punjab government had set up holding centres under Pakistan’s Illegal Foreigner Repatriation Plan (IFRP) and began identifying Afghan nationals who lacked valid documents or had overstayed in Pakistan for more than a year.
Undocumented Afghans were placed in these holding centres until they were transported to the Torkham border for crossing into Afghanistan.
Punjab Home Secretary Dr Ahmad Javed Qazi told Dawn that no Afghan refugee camp was operational in the province following the closure of Mianwali’s Kot Chandna camp. He said that Afghans intercepted by law enforcement agencies were taken to district-level holding centres, where the Punjab government, through deputy commissioners, provided board, lodging and food. From there, they were transported to Torkham at the government’s expense.
“All Afghans residing in Pakistan have to leave except those holding valid visas,” he asserted.
According to the UN refugee agency, more than 3.5 million Afghans were living in Pakistan, including some 700,000 who arrived after the Taliban takeover in 2021. About half of them were undocumented.
While Pakistan hosted Afghans for decades during successive conflicts, the government argued that the rising number of refugees posed security risks and strained public services. Following the repatriation policy, many Afghans voluntarily left the country, while others were identified, taken to holding centres, and later transported to the border.
In its notification denotifying the Mianwali camp, the Ministry of Kashmir Affairs, Gilgit-Baltistan and States and Frontier Regions said all land and non-movable assets in the area would be handed over to the Punjab government or the district deputy commissioner concerned by the respective Provincial CAR through written handover.
Published in Dawn, September 26th, 2025
