The government had initially set a deadline for March 31 for Afghans holding specific documentation to leave the country, intensifying efforts to repatriate Afghan nationals. However, the government has now extended the deadline until the beginning of next week due to the holiday period, according to an official.
Afghans holding Afghan Citizen Cards (ACC) – issued by Pakistani authorities and reportedly held by 800,000 people, according to the United Nations – will be subject to deportation once the new deadline expires.
Additionally, more than 1.3 million Afghans with Proof of Registration (PoR) cards issued by the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) are set to be relocated outside the capital Islamabad and the neighbouring city of Rawalpindi.
The Afghan interim government under the Taliban on Tuesday called upon Islamabad not to start deportation of Afghan nationals, as the deadline for Afghan Citizenship Card (ACC) holders to voluntarily leave Pakistan expired yesterday.
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A report published in state-run Radio Pakistan today said that “strict legal action would now be initiated against the concerned individuals” since the specified date has passed.
UNHCR Representative to Pakistan Philippa Candler has said Pakistan hosts 1.52 million registered Afghan refugees and asylum-seekers, an estimated 800,000 Afghan citizenship holders, along with others living in the country without official recognition.
“Notably, Pakistan has announced a renewed crackdown, stating that it will deport individuals without legal residence permits, even as valid cardholders face uncertainty,” an Afghan government statement said on April 1st, according to the Afghan official Bakhtar news agency.
Afghan Minister of Refugees and Repatriation, Mawlavi Abdul Kabir, has urged neighbouring countries (Pakistan and Iran) to halt planned deportations and allow Afghans to return home voluntarily.
“He emphasised the importance of humane treatment for refugees, especially in light of reports of mistreatment of Afghans by border nations, including instances where individuals holding legal visas were also deported,” Bakhtar reported.
Senior officials in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have recommended to the federal government to postpone the repatriation process until April 10 in view of the Eid holidays. There has been no indication from the interior ministry that this suggestion would be accepted.
Jawad Shinwari, a correspondent in Khyber tribal district told Dawn.com that refugee camps established by authorities at Landi Kotal are currently closed and there was no movement as of this afternoon.
A meeting of the Provincial Steering Committee on Illegal Foreigners’ Repatriation plan (ACC holders) was briefed on the repatriation process and requirements, according to the minutes seen by Dawn.com.
“All the participants of the meeting unanimously agreed on the proposal that repatriation/deportation of ACC holders may be started from 10 April, 2025 instead of 1 April 2025 due to Eidul Fitr Holidays,” according to the minutes of the March 17 meeting.
The meeting, presided over by the additional chief secretary, home and TAs Department, also discussed funding that will be required for the repatriation process.
“Repatriation/deportation of ACC holders comes under the domain of the federal government. Therefore the provincial government, KP may be granted funds/financial support for the repatriation of ACC holders,” according to the minutes.
The meeting decided that the home department will move a summary to the KP chief minister for clarity on repatriation.
There is no word from the KP and federal governments whether the funding issue has been resolved.
The Interior Ministry says the Illegal Foreigners Repatriation Program (IFRP) is being implemented from 1 November 2023. “In continuation to the Government’s decision to repatriate all illegal foreigners, national leadership has now decided to also repatriate ACC holders,” the March 6 statement had stated.
Under the IFRP, over 700,000 undocumented Afghans have already left Pakistan since the process was launched in Nov 2023.
Acting Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi, in a meeting with Pakistan’s Special Representative for Afghanistan Mohammad Sadiq in Kabul on March 22, had asked Pakistan to give more time to the ACC holders as repatriation of so many people could create difficulties for his government.
The UN estimates that nearly three million Afghans currently reside in Pakistan, with many having sought refuge over decades of conflict in their homeland. The number surged after the Taliban regained power in Afghanistan in 2021.
Human rights groups have condemned Pakistan’s deportation campaign. Moniza Kakar, a Pakistani human rights lawyer, warned that many Afghan refugees have lived in Pakistan for years and face an uncertain future if forced to return.
“Many have been living in the country for years, and going back means going back to nothing,” Kakar said.
Tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan have escalated since the Taliban takeover. Islamabad accuses Kabul of harboring militants, a claim the Taliban government denies. In March, a Pakistani delegation met with Afghan officials in Kabul, emphasizing the importance of security cooperation in the region.
The Taliban administration has repeatedly called for the “dignified” return of Afghan refugees. Prime Minister Hassan Akhund urged host countries not to forcibly remove Afghans, instead requesting support for their voluntary return.
“We ask that instead of forced deportation, Afghans should be supported and provided with facilities,” Akhund said in an Eid message delivered before Pakistan’s original deadline.
Following an ultimatum issued by Islamabad in 2023 for undocumented Afghans to leave the country, more than 800,000 Afghans have returned to Afghanistan between September 2023 and the end of March 2024, according to UN figures.
