Pakistan detains landlords in Punjab as crackdown on undocumented Afghans intensifies

Authorities in Pakistan’s Punjab province have arrested multiple landlords accused of renting properties to undocumented Afghan nationals, as part of a widening federal crackdown on illegal foreign residents, officials confirmed Friday.

In Rawalpindi, police said 51 criminal cases had been filed over the past three days, including 16 against landlords accused of illegally housing Afghans without valid documents. A further 163 Afghan nationals were detained and transferred to holding centers for verification.

The arrests are part of a nationwide drive to identify, detain and deport Afghans living in Pakistan without legal status. Similar operations are underway in other provinces, following recent security directives issued by federal and provincial authorities.

Police have also cautioned citizens against renting homes, shops, or vehicles to undocumented foreigners and warned businesses not to employ or engage in financial dealings with them. Legally residing foreign nationals have been instructed to register at their nearest police stations.

In Islamabad, a separate operation jointly conducted by the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) and city police on Friday led to the arrest of 411 Afghan nationals, with cases registered under the Foreigners Act.

The intensifying campaign comes amid heightened tensions between Islamabad and Kabul over cross-border militancy and migration issues.

According to UN data, more than 1.17 million Afghans have returned to Afghanistan from Pakistan since 2023. In 2025 alone, over 362,000 Afghans have left the country, while nearly 49,000 have been detained or arrested, and at least 54,000 deported since April.

Officials say awareness campaigns are being carried out through mosques and social media, urging citizens to report undocumented residents while assuring that the identities of informants will be kept confidential.