PESHAWAR: The deportation of Afghan refugees, both documented and undocumented, continued with full force as at least 1,047 Afghan citizens are set to be formally deported today via Torkham.
Pakistan had set a deadline of March 31 for all types of Afghan nationals residing in Pakistan to leave voluntarily or face forced deportation.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Home Department stated that over 876 individuals holding Afghan Citizen Cards were sent back to Afghanistan via Torkham on Sunday. Since March 01, more than 13,55 Afghan nationals were sent back to Afghanistan.
Meanwhile, operations against illegal foreign residents are also continuing in Punjab, where over 1,047 Afghan nationals were taken into custody and transferred to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa for repatriation.
Sources showed that another at least 1,047 Afghan citizens are set to be formally deported today through Torkham, with relevant authorities managing this process in an organized manner.
Meanwhile, a large-scale crackdown is being conducted against illegal Afghan migrants in Attock, with hundreds being arrested.
Following the March 31 deadline, Attock police have detained over 705 Afghan nationals and moved them to a camp set up at a technical college.
This group included women and children, and at least 365 Afghans have already been transported to the Afghan border with the assistance of elite forces.
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.
