Pakistan’s Ministry of Interior issued a directive on Sunday, June 28, 2026, ordering the immediate arrest of any Afghan national found residing in the country without a valid visa from July 10, 2026.

The order, dated June 28, went to chief secretaries, inspectors general of police of all four provinces, and the Islamabad administration. It instructed them to strictly enforce the Illegal Foreigners’ Repatriation Plan, or IFRP, across the country.

The directive states: “With effect from 10th July, 2026, any Afghan national found residing in Pakistan without a valid visa shall be arrested immediately”. Authorities were told to treat the matter as a top priority and ensure compliance “in letter and spirit”.

Provincial governments were also ordered to pass instructions to deputy commissioners, district administrations, police and other law enforcement agencies. The ministry directed them to ensure uniform and effective implementation of the arrest order.

From July 11, 2026, authorities must send daily reports to the ministry detailing the number of Afghan nationals found without valid visas, the action taken against them and their current immigration status. The reporting requirement places day-to-day enforcement under direct central review.

The order applies nationwide, including the Islamabad Capital Territory and special administrative areas. It does not mention exceptions for people with overstayed visas or undocumented status.

Pakistan issued the directive as part of the second phase of its repatriation plan. Reports indicate that preparations under that phase aim to deport approximately 800,000 undocumented Afghan nationals.

The IFRP began in October 2023, targeting undocumented foreigners who were overwhelmingly Afghans. Pakistan resumed the plan in April 2025 after revoking residence permits for hundreds of thousands of Afghans.

The latest instruction lays out a chain of enforcement that runs from provincial administrations to district officials and police units. Chief secretaries and inspectors general of police received the order directly, while provincial governments were told to push it down to deputy commissioners, district administrations and other law enforcement agencies.

That structure gives the directive both an administrative and policing arm. District officials are expected to identify people covered by the order, while police and other agencies are expected to act on it once enforcement begins on July 10, 2026.

The daily reporting rule starts one day later. By requiring updates from July 11, 2026, the ministry has set up a system to track how many Afghan nationals are found without valid visas, what action authorities take and how each case is classified in immigration terms.

Pakistan framed the order as an execution step, not a policy under discussion. The ministry’s language called for immediate arrest once the deadline takes effect, and the order’s wording leaves little room for local variation because it tells provincial authorities to implement it uniformly.

Islamabad was included alongside the four provinces in the original distribution list, placing the federal capital under the same enforcement instructions. The directive also extends to special administrative areas, widening the geographic scope beyond the main provincial governments.

The notice focuses on visa validity as the trigger for arrest. An Afghan national residing in Pakistan without a valid visa falls within the order once the effective date arrives.

Nothing in the notification sets out separate treatment for people who overstayed visas versus those with no documents at all. The text instead points authorities to enforcement under the broader repatriation plan.

The second phase comes after earlier steps under the IFRP that began in late 2023 and resumed in 2025. That sequence places the new arrest order inside a longer campaign that has centered on undocumented Afghans and, later, Afghans whose residence permits were revoked.

Pakistan’s latest move now sets a clear calendar for enforcement. Arrests are due to begin on July 10, 2026, and the first daily accounting to the Ministry of Interior is due from July 11, 2026, with provincial administrations, district officials, police and other law enforcement agencies expected to carry out the order nationwide.