The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa administration has vacated and decommissioned 33 Afghan refugee camps across the province, including five in Mardan and Swabi, as part of the federal government’s accelerated repatriation campaign to ensure the dignified and orderly return of Afghan nationals.
According to official sources, three camps in Mardan, Jalala, Kagan, and Baghicha and two in Swabi have been vacated. A total of 8,990 families, comprising 52,125 individuals, have returned to Afghanistan from these camps. The Commissioner of Mardan has submitted a detailed report on the evacuation to the Chief Secretary.
The Afghan Commissionerate has transferred administrative control of the vacated camps to the Commissioner of Mardan. Simultaneously, 28 more Afghan refugee camps across the province have been closed under directives from the Ministry of Interior, which also instructed that all vehicles and facilities earlier allotted to the camps be handed back to the district administrations.
The recently closed facilities include eight camps in Peshawar, three in Nowshera, five in Hangu, four in Kohat, two each in Mardan and Swabi, one in Buner, and three in Dir. Earlier, the Ministry of States and Frontier Regions (SAFRON), acting on the Ministry of Interior’s orders, had formally notified the closure of ten additional camps in Dera Ismail Khan, Tank, Lakki Marwat, Bannu, and Mansehra.
Furthermore, Afghan refugee camps located in Charsadda, Malakand, Zafarabad, Dabara, Gandi Khan Khel, Bezan Khel, Khaki, Lachrian, Breri, Utmanzai, Munda, and Zangal Patai have also been closed as part of the province-wide operation.
The sweeping closure of Afghan refugee camps in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa underscores the government’s determination to implement its repatriation plan in a systematic and humane manner. Officials reaffirmed that federal and provincial agencies remain fully aligned in facilitating the safe and voluntary return of Afghan nationals while maintaining law and order across the province.
