PESHAWAR: Afghan refugees, both documented and undocumented, residing in Pakistan have only 8 days left to Pakistan as the March 31 deadline approaches.
With the deadline fast approaching, the number of Afghan nationals returning to their country has significantly increased. According to reports, more than 874,282 Afghans illegally residing in Pakistan have returned to Afghanistan during the last 18 months.
Pakistan started the deportation of illegal Afghan nationals on September 15, 2023, amid their involvement in crimes.
Officials say that as of March 20, a total of 874,282 illegal Afghans have left Pakistan.
Earlier this month, the government gave a last warning to all types of Afghan immigrants in the country including those carrying Proof of Registration (POR) cards, to leave voluntarily before a March 31 deadline.
According to the interior ministry, Pakistan was determined to go ahead with a plan to expel all Afghan refugees after the end of March.
The decision to expel the Afghan refugees after Afghan nationals were found to be involved in terrorism, crimes, smuggling and attacks on law enforcement agencies.
Pakistan saw the largest influx of Afghan refugees since the Soviet invasion of Kabul in 1979. Hundreds of thousands fled war and conflicts. Many registered as refugees with the government and UN agencies. Hundreds of thousands fled Afghanistan and entered Pakistan after the Taliban seized power in Kabul in August 2021.
The expulsion plan worsens ties between the two neighbors. Recent border clashes have added to tensions. Pakistan claims militants train in Afghanistan and plan attacks inside its borders.
Meanwhile, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has completed all preparations for an operation against Afghan refugees in the province.
The Home Department said that the operation to repatriate Afghan nationals to their home country will begin after March 31.
According to media reports, the authorities have completed geo-printing of Afghan refugees in various districts. The provincial capital Peshawar, home to the largest number of registered and unregistered refugees, is a key focus of the operation.
An estimated 1.4 million Afghan refugees- either holding Afghan Citizen Cards or Proof of Registration (POR) cards are residing in Pakistan, mostly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Special deportation centres would be established in the country’s four provinces: Punjab, Balochistan, Sindh and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.
Official records show 709,278 Afghan refugees in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa hold Proof of Registration (POR) cards. They make up 52% of all POR cardholders in the country. The province has 43 Afghan refugee camps, housing 344,908 refugees. Another 307,647 Afghans in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa hold Afghan Citizen Cards.
Since 2013, 465,000 Afghan refugees have returned through Torkham, said Abid Majeed, Additional Chief Secretary of the Home Department.
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According to the Home Department, the number of unregistered Afghan nationals is more than one lakh.
