Punjab launches whistleblower drive to trace illegal Afghan residents

Over 65,000 Afghans deported as Punjab intensifies crackdown on illegal residents

The Punjab government has announced a whistleblower system to identify and report illegal Afghan residents, part of a renewed push to deport undocumented migrants in the wake of deadly border clashes with Afghanistan.

During a meeting chaired by the Chief Minister of Punjab, it was decided that informants’ identities will remain confidential, while combing operations will target undocumented Afghans and their businesses. Those found without legal status will be deported under the federal government’s repatriation policy.

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In what initially appeared to be a clerical error, the provincial government also moved to bring Afghan nationals into the tax net.

However, Punjab Information Minister Azma Zahid Bukhari clarified to The Express Tribune that the policy applies only to those residing in Pakistan legally.

“All Afghans legally residing here and doing business in Pakistan will now be required to pay taxes,” Bukhari said. “No one with legal permission to stay can evade taxation”.

According to the Home Department, around 65,000 Afghans have already been deported, with operations continuing across the province.

However, the crackdown has also drawn concern from local Pakhtuns, who say they are frequently subjected to identity checks during police raids in their neighborhoods.

“It’s because of them that our areas go through combing operations again and again,” said Gulzeb Khan, a businessman from Lahore Cantonment and member of the Pakhtun Welfare Association.

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“Even at checkpoints, we’re asked to prove our identity while others pass freely. My wife lost her NIC, and NADRA is now asking us to prove her nationality before reissuing it”.

Afghan residents, meanwhile, say the sweeping drive is punishing those who have lived in Pakistan for generations.

“My family has been here for sixty years. I was born in Pakistan,” said Moeen Khan, a labourer at Lahore’s Azam Cloth Market. “Recently, police stopped us at Babu Sabu and demanded Rs500 to let us go. Sometimes it’s Rs200, sometimes Rs500 — that’s the price of staying safe.”

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He said many Afghans see Pakistan as home and want peace between the two nations.

“We love Pakistan. This country gave us shelter and work. Why would we be against it?” he said.

Another Afghan, speaking on condition of anonymity, said resentment runs deep on both sides but urged restraint.

“Pakistan helped America bomb Afghanistan, so some ill will is natural,” he said. “But discrimination helps no one. When Pakistanis face harassment abroad, it’s called a human rights violation — yet when it happens to Muslims here, it’s called national interest”.