Pakistan has launched a fresh crackdown on undocumented Afghan nationals, deporting thousands following the expiry of a government deadline to leave the country. Authorities in Islamabad cite national security concerns as justification, though the United Nations has warned that those being removed include not only undocumented migrants but also refugees and holders of Afghan citizen cards. The mass deportations come amid sharply rising political tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan (now governed by the Taliban since 2021), raising questions about whether the crackdown is driven as much by diplomacy as by immigration enforcement.