Pakistan has postponed a deadline for the expulsion of hundreds of thousands of Afghans due to Eidul Fitr holdays marking the end of Ramadan, a government official confirmed on Tuesday.

The government had initially set a deadline for March 31 for Afghans having specific evidence to leave the country, which intensified efforts to repatriate Afghan citizens. 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 Card (ACC) – issued by Pakistani authorities and allegedly owned by 800,000 people, according to the United Nations – will be exposed to deportation when the new deadline expires.

In addition, more than 1.3 million Afghans with proof of registration (POR) cards issued by the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) have been set to be moved outside the capital Islamabad and the nearby town of Rawalpindi.

The UN estimates that nearly three million Afghans are currently living in Pakistan, where many have sought refuge over decades of conflict in their homeland. After the Taliban, the number increased 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 lived in the country for years and to return means going back to nothing,” Kakar said.

Tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan have escalated since the Taliban acquisition. Islamabad accuses Kabul of having remembered militants, an allegation that the Taliban government denies. In March, a Pakistani delegation met with Afghan officials in Kabul and emphasized the importance of security cooperation in the region.

The Taliban administration has repeatedly called for the “worthy” return of Afghan refugees. Prime Minister Hassan Akhund urged the host countries not to forcibly remove Afghans instead of requesting support for their voluntary returns.

“We ask that instead of forced deportation, Afghans should be supported and provided with facilities,” said Akhund in an EID message delivered before Pakistan’s original deadline.

After 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 the UN.