After the expiry of a deadline for their voluntary return to Afghanistan, authorities in Pakistan on Thursday swung into action and arrested 60 illegal Afghan migrants from different areas of Rawalpindi and Islamabad during a search operation.

According to sources, the operation was carried out by police in collaboration with secret agencies on the basis of tip-offs.

In Islamabad, the operation was carried out in Tarnol, Barakahu, Ghauri Town and Mirabad areas, from where 22 Afghan nationals were rounded up. Thirty-eight Afghans were detained during the operation in Rawalpindi’s Fauji Colony and its adjoining areas.

All the people were later shifted to a temporary camp in the Haji camp area.

After their biometric and registration at the camp, these people will be shifted to the Landi Kotal area in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) from where they will be deported to Afghanistan through Torkham border crossing.

Pakistan had set a March 31 deadline for all illegal residents, including Afghan Citizen Card (ACC) holder, to voluntarily return to their home countries.

However, with the deadline now past, the government has signaled the start of forcible removals and legal measures against those still residing in the country without proper documentation.

According to official data, a total of 886,242 undocumented Afghan nationals left Pakistan as of April 1, with repatriations continuing.

Authorities warned of strict legal action against those who failed to leave by the deadline, reinforcing the government’s commitment to enforcing immigration laws.

There are 43 camps for Afghan refugees in the K-P. The number of Afghan nationals in Pakistan holding Proof of Registration (PoR) cards is 1,344,584. In the K-P, the total number of registered Afghan refugees is 709,278, out of which 344,908 are residing in camps.

The number of Afghan refugees holding ACC is 307,647. Since 2013, a total of 465,000 Afghan refugees have returned through the Torkham border.

In Balochistan, there are 317,000 registered Afghan refugees; in Punjab, there are 196,000 refugees; in Sindh 74,117; Islamabad 42,718, and in Azad Kashmir there are 4,448 registered Afghan refugees.

The Afghan interim government under the Taliban on Tuesday called upon Islamabad not to start deportation of Afghan nationals.

“Notably, Pakistan has announced a renewed crackdown, stating that it will deport individuals without legal residence permits, even as valid cardholders face uncertainty,” an Afghan government statement said on April 1, according to the Afghan official Bakhtar news agency.

The mass deportation drive, launched last year, is part of Pakistan’s broader strategy to regulate undocumented migration and address rising security concerns.

On Wednesday, Interior Minister Mohsin Raza Naqvi called on Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and briefed him about the progress with regard to the repatriation process of the Afghan nationals.