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Pakistan orders closure of five Afghan refugee camps in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
Pakistan’s government has ordered the closure of five Afghan refugee camps in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) as part of its wider repatriation policy for Afghan nationals, according to an official notification issued Friday.
Three of the shuttered camps were in Haripur, one in Chitral, and one in Upper Dir. The government has directed that the land be handed over to the provincial authorities and relevant deputy commissioners.
Among them is Haripur’s Panyan camp, one of Pakistan’s largest and oldest Afghan settlements, which sheltered more than 100,000 refugees for nearly four decades.
The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) has repeatedly noted that most Afghan refugees in Pakistan live in KP, meaning the closures could directly affect thousands of long-term residents.
The move has drawn political opposition, with KP Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur warning against forced repatriation. He stressed that policy decisions must take humanitarian concerns and the province’s deep historical ties with Afghan communities into account.