Pakistani Authorities Step Up Arrests Of Afghan Migrants In Capital City

Pakistani police carried out another raid in Islamabad’s B-17 sector on Tuesday, detaining several Afghan migrants, including women and children, according to witnesses who spoke to Afghanistan International.

Multiple Afghan residents in the area reported that police entered homes, detained entire families, and transported them to an undisclosed location. One migrant, speaking on condition of anonymity, said officers forcibly entered houses and arrested individuals whose visas had expired.

Another resident confirmed that police arrived to search their home, but the occupants managed to avoid detection and arrest.

While the exact number of arrests on Tuesday remains unclear, a source told Afghanistan International that approximately 50 Afghan nationals, including women and children, had been detained in the area the previous day.

Saturday also saw widespread police raids in various parts of Islamabad, including B-17, with dozens of Afghan families taken into custody. The latest arrests come amid an ongoing crackdown that has seen Pakistan deport dozens of Afghan migrants in recent days, including journalists and civil society activists.

According to figures provided by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Pakistan deported 286,631 Afghan nationals between April 1 and July 15.