In line with Pakistan’s evolving counter-terrorism strategy, law enforcement authorities launched a targeted crackdown on undocumented Afghan nationals in the federal capital on Saturday, detaining dozens of individuals during coordinated operations across several areas, including the B-17 township.
According to officials, the operation was conducted after intelligence assessments revealed that Afghan refugee settlements are increasingly being exploited by terrorist facilitators and sleeper cells operating inside Pakistan. Security sources say that a number of recent terror incidents, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, have involved individuals with links to Afghan refugee communities.
The latest wave of detentions included families lacking valid documentation, many of whom have overstayed their visas following Pakistan’s suspension of visa extensions for Afghan nationals. Authorities confirmed that among those taken into custody were individuals living in the country without any legal basis.
The B-17 area, which has become a hub for various Afghan migrant groups, was a focal point of Saturday’s operation. Officials believe some of the residents may have been involved, directly or indirectly, in facilitating subversive activities.
Pakistan’s Ministry of Interior has maintained that the presence of undocumented Afghans poses a serious national security risk, particularly in light of growing evidence that many terrorists and their facilitators move across the border undetected, often blending into refugee populations.
In recent months, the government has intensified efforts to identify, detain, and repatriate such individuals to prevent further deterioration of internal security. Authorities have reiterated that these steps are not aimed at genuine refugees, but at those who pose a clear and present danger to Pakistan’s peace and stability.
Pakistan has long hosted millions of Afghan refugees out of goodwill, but officials now stress that national security must take precedence, especially amid a surge in cross-border terrorism and instability in neighboring Afghanistan.
The repatriation policy, according to the government, is part of a comprehensive national action plan to eliminate terror networks and their support bases within the country’s borders.
With border fencing completed along major stretches and surveillance enhanced, the state’s focus is now shifting to internal clean-up operations, ensuring that no safe havens—even informal ones—exist for elements threatening Pakistan’s sovereignty.
