Afghan Doctors and Student Arrested in Punjab Amid Renewed Expulsion Drive

Multan police in Punjab province arrested thirteen Afghan physicians and one medical student on 15 July, moving them to a detention centre that serves as a gateway for deportation back to Afghanistan. The detainees maintain that they have been awaiting visa approvals or extensions for almost a year, yet were seized without any immigration verdict.

The men and woman say they were taken from a state‑run hospital and escorted to a detention facility in Attock, where authorities can arrange their swift transfer across the border. Five of the doctors applied for fresh entry visas, while the others sought extensions to existing permits. Over the past twelve months, Pakistani immigration officials repeatedly reviewed their documents but never rendered a final decision.

The professionals warned that interrupting their medical education and specialization programs could compromise years of training. They have petitioned both the Pakistani government and Afghan representatives to intervene, requesting that they be allowed to stay in Pakistan until their studies are completed.

This operation occurs as Pakistan accelerates its campaign against undocumented foreign nationals, especially Afghan citizens. In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Bannu district, three refugee camps were emptied, and 525 Afghan families were sent back through the Tor‑Kham crossing.

A June 28 interior ministry order stipulated that from 10 July onward, any Afghan resident lacking a valid visa must be arrested immediately. The expulsion drive, which began in 2023, was intensified again in April of the previous year, when the government cancelled a large number of residence permits and warned that those remaining would face detention.