TORKHAM: The deportation of Afghan refugees residing in the country continues as authorities at the Torkham border deported 3,669 more Afghan nationals in the last 24 hours.
Out of these, authorities say 2,242 illegal foreigners voluntarily came to the Landi Kotal transit camp where they were deported through the Torkham border after the legal proceedings were completed.
The rest were arrested from different cities of the country and were directly transferred to the Torkham border.
Since the deportation drive started on April 1, a total of 11,371 Afghans representing a diverse demographic spectrum including men, women, and children, have been deported to their homeland.
Earlier in September, Pakistan had announced the Illegal Foreigners Repatriation Programme (IFRP) to deport all illegal foreigners. 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.
On Friday, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur vowed to oppose forced repatriation of Afghan refugees, stressing that any return should be voluntary and conducted with dignity.
Speaking to reporters after meeting Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan at Adiala Jail, Gandapur clarified that he had no formal role in dialogue efforts, despite Khan’s insistence on negotiations to resolve the ongoing security crisis.
“Our position on Afghan refugees is clear — we oppose any policy that forcibly sends them back. Those who wish to return should be treated with dignity,” he said, marking a departure from the federal government’s stringent approach toward undocumented migrants.
