The interruption of Afghan refugees continues as the deadline set by the government has gone with 944 foreign families consisting of 6,700 individuals deported from Pakistan since April 1.
Immigration sources reported that these persons were transported to Landi Kotal Transit Camp, where they underwent the necessary treatment before being deported through the Torkham border.
Among the deported, 2,874 men, 1,755 women and 2,071 children have returned to Afghanistan.
The repatriation, which began on September 17, 2023, has seen a total of 70,494 Afghan families representing 469,159 individuals return to their homeland.
In addition to the deportations, a police crash in Rawalpindi and targets against Afghan citizens who reside illegally in the country.
Since the beginning of April, 353 Afghan citizens have been detained for a lack of valid residence documentation. Authorities have focused on them without proof of residence (por) cards and those with expired Afghan citizen card.
This ongoing operation has intensified the security measures in the Golra Mor Holding Center, where retained Afghan nationals are treated for deportation.
Authorities have stated that the crash will continue with further operations planned in the coming days.
Previously, law enforcement agencies had intensified operations in several cities to facilitate the repatriation of Afghan citizenship (ACC) holders, especially after the voluntary return period.
Many Afghan-powered stores and offices in commercial areas, especially in Peshawar, had remained closed when companies owned by Afghan citizens were closed after Eid.
Authorities had also conducted a national re-verification campaign in which dozens of Afghan individuals who had their Pakistani identity card were canceled. A major crash was expected after April 11, when arrests would probably begin soon.
In Rawalpindi, over 50 Afghan citizens who held ACCs were detained, transferred to temporary camps and were set to be repatriated.
In Karachi, similar operations had taken place where 162 ACC holders were already detained and led to a possession facility.
The operation targeted an estimated 16,138 individuals nationwide, with the authorities confirming that some persons with proof of registration card (POR) card had been released.
The crash was underway with law enforcement authorities who performed daily operations to ensure compliance with the government’s deportation policy.
