Pakistan arrested 517 Afghan nationals in a single week, from October 11 to 17, according to a joint flash update by the UN refugee agency UNHCR and the International Organization for Migration (IOM), posted on ReliefWeb on October 23.

Source: UNHCR-IOM Flash Update #116 via ReliefWeb, Oct 23, 2026

In the same week, 3,883 Afghans returned to Afghanistan through border crossings including Torkham, Chaman and Bahramcha, including 499 deportations, the agencies reported. Returns fell by 10 per cent and deportations by 48 per cent compared with the previous week, when 4,295 Afghans returned, including 961 deportations.

Source: South Punjab News, Oct 2026

Fear of arrest remained the main reason many Afghans gave for returning home, Khaama Press reported, summarising the same UN report. Most of those who returned in the week were undocumented (83 per cent), followed by Afghan Citizen Card holders (9 per cent) and Proof of Registration holders (8 per cent), according to the report.

Source: Khaama Press, Oct 24, 2026

Cumulatively, about 2,744,068 Afghans have returned from Pakistan since September 15, 2023, the agencies said. Since April 1, 2025 alone, 1,890,035 Afghans have returned, of whom 237,387 — about 13 per cent — were deported, according to the report.

Source: South Punjab News, Oct 2026

The monitoring began after Pakistan's Ministry of Interior decided on September 26, 2023 to enact an Illegal Foreigners' Repatriation Plan, the IOM said. Pakistan has since issued further directives affecting Afghan nationals, including the repatriation of Proof of Registration holders after their cards expired on June 30, according to the agencies' earlier updates.

Source: IOM Displacement Tracking Matrix, Pakistan flash updates