The Illegal Foreigners Repatriation Program (IFRP), launched in September 2023, is a major state initiative designed to ensure the phased return of all illegal foreign residents from Pakistan — a process in which Khyber Pakhtunkhwa plays a critical role due to its large undocumented population. The policy began with voluntary departures before transitioning to forced repatriations and is rooted in state sovereignty, long-term planning, and fair resource distribution rather than targeting any single nationality.
Limited returns through Torkham highlight provincial disconnect
According to the Ministry of Interior, over 1.1 million illegal residents have been repatriated by April 2025. The Torkham border alone has processed 469,929 Afghan citizens between September 17, 2023, and March 31, 2025, with an additional 425,496 leaving after April 1st.
Yet a striking disparity remains: very few of these Afghans were living inside Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s slow response to IFRP raises constitutional concerns
The IFRP controversy has cast fresh doubts on the province’s performance. What was expected to be a unified national effort instead exposed signs of provincial reluctance, administrative hesitation, and at times open political defiance. Constitutionally, implementing federal directives falls on the provinces. The province’s minimal action raises a direct question: why has Khyber Pakhtunkhwa failed to fulfil its constitutional obligation?
Political resistance and minimal repatriations reflect deeper issues
A troubling pattern emerges: most individuals returning through Torkham are not those residing in KP. Despite hosting a large undocumented population, the province repatriated only 153 individuals in April 2025, an insignificant number compared to the thousands living without valid documents.
This appears less like administrative weakness and more like political resistance — especially after former chief minister Ali Amin Gandapur publicly opposed the federal policy.
Security risks magnify the urgency for corrective action
KP hosts the largest concentration of Afghan nationals, including many without legal status. This carries serious security implications. Multiple terror incidents in past years have involved Afghan elements, a fact acknowledged by both Pakistani and international institutions.
Equally concerning are estimates suggesting that around 250,000 Afghans hold fake Pakistani identity cards, with most cases originating from KP — networks unlikely to operate without some level of political or bureaucratic protection.
Public services strained as undocumented residents continue receiving facilities
Despite the de-notification of refugee camps, more than 353,000 Afghans remain in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, living in facilities that continue to receive electricity, water, healthcare and other provincial resources — services meant for Pakistani citizens. This puts additional pressure on a province already struggling with economic constraints and stretched public services.
A coordinated and transparent implementation of IFRP is essential
KP must urgently align itself with federal policy and implement the IFRP with clarity, transparency and seriousness. The province’s internal security, social harmony and fair allocation of public resources depend on decisive action — not political posturing or administrative delay.
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