KHYBER: Pakistan has intensified its drive against Afghan refugees and deported more than 4515 Afghan nationals in the last 24 hours.
The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Home and Tribal Affairs Department said that a total of 20124 Afghan nationals were repatriated to Afghanistan since the expiry of a March 31 expulsion deadline for Afghan Citizen Card (ACC) holders, and those residing illegally in Pakistan.
They were repatriated to Afghanistan via Torkham border. Out of 4515, 3062 illegally residing Afghan nationals voluntarily came to Landikotal transit camp. The rest were Afghan Citizen Card holders.
Immigration authorities say that 1322 illegal foreigners arrested from different cities of Punjab were directly transferred to Torkham. 48 illegal foreigners arrested from Azad Kashmir were also deported via Torkham border. Moreover, 83 illegal foreigners were also deported from Peshawar Juma Khan Colony.
The latest deportation exercise is part of a larger repatriation drive of foreign citizens that began in September 2023. Under the programme, Pakistan deported 70,494 illegal Afghan families consisting of 469,159 people who have returned home via the Torkham border until March 2025.
In July 2024, Pakistan had extended the stay of 1.45 million Afghan refugees who were legally residing in the country and holding the Proof of Registration (PoR) cards and Afghan Citizens Card until 30 June 2025.
However, due to the Afghan’s involvement in crimes and anti-Pakistan activities, Islamabad had set a deadline of March 31 for all types of Afghan nationals residing in Pakistan to leave voluntarily or face forced deportation.
“All illegal foreigners and ACC holders are advised to leave the country voluntarily before 31 March 2025; thereafter, deportation will commence from 1 April 2025,” read a press release issued by the interior on March 7.
“In continuation of the government’s decision to repatriate all illegal foreigners, the national leadership has now also decided to repatriate ACC-holders,” the ministry said.
