Islamabad/Peshawar:
With Eid holidays ending on Wednesday, the process of expeling all illegal foreigners and Afghan Citizens’ Cards (ACC) holders will probably gain momentum as the deadline for their voluntary departure has officially expired.
In this connection, Interior Minister Mohsin Raza naqvi Prime Minister Shearif Sharif on Wednesday and briefed him on progress in terms of the repatriation process for the Afghan citizens.
According to official data, a total of 886,242 undocumented Afghan citizens have left Pakistan from April 1, with repatriations continuing.
Authorities have warned of strict lawsuits against those who failed to leave the deadline, which strengthens the government’s obligation to enforce immigration laws.
Pakistan had set a deadline of March 31 for all illegal residents, including Afghan citizen card owners, to voluntarily return to their home countries.
But with the deadline now, the government has signaled the start of forced removal and legal measures against those who are still residing in the country without proper documentation.
The deadline for their return ended on March 31, but the repatriation process could not formally begin because of Eid holidays.
There are 43 camps for Afghan refugees in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. The number of Afghan nationals of Pakistan holding proof of registration card (por) is 1,344,584. In Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, the total number of registered Afghan refugees is 709,278, of which 344,908 resides in Lejre.
The number of Afghan refugees holding Afghan Citizen Card is 307,647. Since 2013, a total of 465,000 Afghan refugees have returned through the Torkham border.
In Balochistan, 317,000 Afghan refugees are registered, while Punjab has 196,000, Sindh has 74,117, Islamabad has 42,718, and Azad Kashmir has 4,448 Afghan refugees residing.
The Afghan temporary government under Taliban on Tuesday had called on Islamabad not to start deportation of Afghan citizens.
“In particular, Pakistan has announced a renewed crash that says it will deport individuals without legal residence permits, even as valid card holders face uncertainty,” states an Afghan government declaration on April 1, according to the Afghan official Bakhtar -News Agency.
The mass -launched mass portion launched last year is part of Pakistan’s wider strategy for regulating undocumented migration and addressing increasing security concerns.
Meanwhile, law enforcement authorities in the twin towns have been instructed to understand and deport Afghan citizens involved in criminal activities with their families.
In Rawalpindi, the police chief has ordered the superintendents of Rawal, Potohar and Saddar Divisions to take litigation against undocumented Afghan nationals residing or working in the district.
Authorities are explicitly aimed at detaining all Afghans involved in criminal activities. However, the Directive also calls for a broader punishing approach in which he decides that if a family member is found guilty of a crime, the whole family will face deportation.
Following the Rawal Pindi City police officer’s orders (CPO), all Station House Officers (Shos) have been tasked with identifying and withholding Afghan nationals living in their respective jurisdictions and their families.
Meanwhile, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has recognized Pakistan’s hospitality to refugees, while emphasizing that a sustainable solution requires “all of us who work together – Afghanistan, Pakistan and the international community”.
In his EID message, UNHCR Pakistan re -representative Philippa Candler repeated that Pakistan could not be expected to bear the responsibility of hosting Afghan refugees indefinitely.
She called for a comprehensive approach to tackle both the immediate and long -term challenges that Pakistan, Afghanistan and the Afghan refugees themselves face.
Candler further emphasized the crucial role of the international community and highlighted the need for continued humanitarian help, not only for short -term relief, but also to support long -term development initiatives.
