Pakistan’s Punjab province was set to repatriate 20 Afghan citizens to their homeland on Thursday as it continued its drive against undocumented Afghan nationals, a Punjab Home Department spokesperson said.

The nationwide repatriation campaign, launched in late 2023, has strained relations between neighbours Pakistan and Afghanistan.

The policy has drawn criticism from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, which has said it has received reports of arrests and expulsions of legally registered Afghans and warned that sending them back in this way breaches Pakistan’s international obligations.

According to a Punjab Home Department statement, official statistics show that more than 2 million Afghan citizens have been sent back from across Pakistan. “In Punjab alone, over 150,000 undocumented Afghans have been repatriated,” the statement said, Reuters reported.

It added that all Afghan citizens without a valid visa are required to leave, while those with valid visas may continue to work or run businesses.

Punjab is currently operating 37 holding centres accommodating 69 Afghan nationals, 20 of whom were scheduled for repatriation on Thursday, the spokesperson said.

Tensions between the two countries remain high. Pakistan accuses Afghanistan of failing to act against what it says are terror networks operating from Afghan soil. Afghanistan denies the allegations.

On Wednesday, Pakistan summoned the Afghan deputy head of mission to raise concerns about a February 16 attack on security forces in Bajaur in northwest Pakistan that killed 11 Pakistani soldiers and a child.

Last year, the two sides were engaged in their heaviest clashes since the IEA returned to power in 2021, though a fragile ceasefire has held since the deadly October fighting.

Afghanistan last week freed three Pakistani soldiers, detained in the October 12 clashes, handing them over to a Saudi delegation in Kabul.

Nooruddin Azizi, Afghanistan’s Minister of Commerce and Industry, met with Ankush Satana and his delegation at his office to discuss expanding economic and technological cooperation.

During the meeting, Satana expressed interest in establishing a gemstone exhibition salon in Afghanistan and connecting Afghan and Indian traders in the pharmaceutical sector.

He also highlighted Germany’s advanced technology capable of producing large quantities of diesel fuel from collected plastic waste and expressed willingness to transfer this technology to Afghanistan.

Azizi welcomed the proposals, emphasizing Afghanistan’s abundant investment opportunities and reaffirming full support.

He noted that the country’s private sector is active and prepared to collaborate with foreign investors.

This meeting represents a significant step toward strengthening economic partnerships and fostering technology transfer, further boosting Afghanistan’s position as a hub for investment and trade in the region.

Faisal Karim Kundi, Governor of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, stressed the importance of political dialogue with the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan during a regional meeting on “Security, Trade, and Economic Affairs between Pakistan and Afghanistan” held in Peshawar.

The event was hosted by the University of Peshawar’s Department of International Relations.

Kundi said that domestic and cross-border challenges can only be addressed through constructive engagement among political leaders. He emphasized that a stable Afghanistan is essential not just for Pakistan, but for the wider region, and that lasting peace is key to economic growth and expanded trade.

The meeting also addressed regional security, trade challenges, and the potential of Pakistan-Afghanistan crossings to strengthen connectivity with Central Asia.

Kundi stated that security in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is directly affected by conditions in Afghanistan and recalled how past conflicts, including post-Soviet wars and post-9/11 events, fueled militancy in the region.

The IEA has meanwhile not commented on Kundi’s remarks but officials have in the past repeatedly acknowledged the need for positive dialogue with neighboring countries to strengthen ties and economic relations.