KHYBER: Police and district administration officials in Landi Kotal, Khyber tribal district, arrested 12 undocumented Afghan nationals on Thursday, deporting eight of them to Afghanistan via the Torkham border crossing.
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Authorities issued warnings to Afghan residents across Landi Kotal to either obtain legal travel documents or return to Afghanistan voluntarily. Afghan traders and shopkeepers were also instructed to close their businesses and leave the country.
The eight deported individuals included Abu Bakar, Farman, Waris, Awozubillah, Nasaruddin, Adam Khan, Najeebullah, and Hayat Mohammad. Four others—Mohammad Adnan, Yar Gul, Zahidullah, and Abdur Rehman—have pending cases with the Peshawar High Court and were not deported.
Officials noted that this was the first coordinated crackdown on illegal Afghan nationals in Landi Kotal tehsil. Authorities have completed a mapping of Afghan families residing in different parts of Khyber and said efforts would be made to ensure their return in a dignified manner, as many have lived in the area for decades and possess Pakistani CNICs.
Local sources said some deported traders had been in Landi Kotal for nearly 30 years, investing millions of rupees in businesses, making it difficult to wind up operations quickly.
Meanwhile, hundreds of Pakistani nationals remain stranded on the Afghan side of the Torkham border, including students, women, and children, after border closures in October 2025. Pakistan allowed 28 medical students to return on January 12, but nearly 1,000 others are awaiting repatriation.
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Zahidan Khan, one of the stranded Pakistanis, urged the federal government to intervene, highlighting financial and health hardships. He said Afghan authorities require proper authorisation for return, and many have made repeated appeals to the Pakistan Embassy in Kabul and the Foreign Office in Islamabad.