Says those who obtained citizenship illegally must be removed from the national database
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi leads a meeting at NADRA headquarters in Islamabad PHOTO: RADIO PAKISTAN
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi on Tuesday directed NADRA to fully assist law enforcement agencies in the deportation of illegal aliens, state television said. Radio Pakistan reported.
While presiding over a meeting at the NADRA headquarters in Islamabad, the interior minister said that immediate identification of those who illegally obtained Pakistani citizenship must be ensured and such persons should be removed from the national database.
Naqvi observed that NADRA’s services had improved significantly during the last two years and directed NADRA to introduce more modern services for the convenience of the public. The minister said that the state-of-the-art offices of NADRA should be built on their own land instead of rented buildings.
On the occasion, it was informed that NADRA had taken several measures to improve service delivery and millions of identity cards of deceased persons had been cancelled.
A period of 30 days was set to resolve ID card-related issues. With the PTA’s cooperation, mobile SIMs issued in the names of the deceased were blocked.
Pakistan has maintained its repatriation policy since November 2023 as part of the Illegal Foreigners Repatriation Plan. Authorities have since repatriated approximately 1.3 million Afghans during the ongoing deportation effort.
Pakistani authorities have also begun deporting Afghan prisoners through the Torkham border, with the first batch of prisoners handed over to Afghan forces as part of a phased repatriation process under government policy.
According to immigration officials, 40 Afghan detainees were deported and transferred to Afghan authorities at the Torkham border.
Read more: Pakistan begins deportation of Afghan prisoners
Officials said the repatriation was being carried out in phases in line with government policy. In the first phase, Afghan prisoners were deported, while in the second phase, Afghan nationals staying illegally in the country would be repatriated.
The deportation process had remained suspended since February 26 due to tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan. Similarly, bilateral trade between the two countries has been suspended since 12 October 2025 due to ongoing tensions in the relationship.
