Pakistan instructs documented Afghan migrants to leave
On Friday, Pakistan instructed all documented Afghan migrants to leave the country by March 31, warning that failure to comply would result in deportation.
The directive was issued a day after the Afghan Ministry of Refugee and Repatriation Affairs urged Pakistan to slow down the expulsion of Afghans, News.Az reports citing Voice of America.
Pakistan launched the Illegal Foreigners Repatriation Program in October 2023, after a dramatic rise in violence that Islamabad blamed on militants operating from Afghanistan.
Friday's order called on those with Afghan Citizen Cards (ACCs) to leave the country in the next three weeks, saying deportation of documented migrants would begin April 1.
“In continuation of the government’s decision to repatriate all illegal foreigners, national leadership has now decided to also repatriate ACC holders,” the ministry said in a brief press release. “All illegal foreigners and ACC holders are advised to leave the country voluntarily before 31 March 2025; thereafter, deportation will commence with effect from 1 April 2025.”
This affects nearly 900,000 documented Afghan economic migrants residing in Pakistan.
According to data from the U.N. refugee agency (UNHCR) released Friday, more than 842,000 Afghans have left Pakistan since the expulsion drive began, including more than 40,000 deportees.
“It is highlighted that sufficient time has already been granted for their dignified return,” the Pakistani interior ministry said.
In late January, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s government approved a plan to repatriate ACC holders but did not specify a date.
Similar news
