Human Rights | Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is resuming arrests and deportations of Afghans from Nov. 1 with 120 special teams, Pakistan Observer and Afghanistan International report

ACW | November 1, 2026 — Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province is launching an operation on Sunday, November 1, to arrest and deport Afghan nationals across all 34 of its districts using 120 special teams, the Pakistan Observer newspaper reported.

Citing "official sources," the paper said the teams are drawn from the police, the Federal Constabulary and the Federal Investigation Agency. It said 50 teams would work in markets and commercial centres, 70 in residential areas, and that a control room had been set up in Peshawar.

Afghanistan International reported on Saturday, citing Pakistani officials, that the arrests and deportations would resume after an emergency was declared in the province. Police said temporary camps had been set up in several areas, the outlet reported.

Pakistan Observer also said police in Karak detained 10 Afghan nationals and handed them over for deportation, and that 56 families, about 200 people, were sent back through Torkham in a single day. It did not give exact dates for either.

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi has said Afghan refugees will be sent home "with dignity and respect" once a grace period ends, the paper reported. ACW could not find an official statement from the provincial government. Beyond these two outlets, the report has not been confirmed by other sources.

No reaction from the Taliban authorities appeared in the published reports.

Background: The operation follows the imposition of governor's rule in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and an emergency in designated districts, Pakistan Observer said. ACW earlier reported that 819 Afghan families were forcibly returned in six days.

Why it matters: Pakistan's federal government has denotified more than 42 Afghan refugee camps in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and almost all have been vacated, according to Pakistan Observer; the new drive covers every district of the province.

ACW will continue to follow this story.

Sources: Pakistan Observer — KP forms 120 special teams for Afghan repatriation drive from Nov 1; Afghanistan International — Pakistan to resume deportation of Afghan migrants in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

Photo: Pakistan Observer