https://arab.news/4mx5n
- Deportation drive was launched after Islamabad witnessed spike in suicide attacks, militancy that it blamed on Afghan nationals
- Local, international rights organizations accuse Islamabad of harassing Afghan nationals, allegations Islamabad has always rejected
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has repatriated over 1.5 million Afghan citizens since November 2023, state-run media reported this week, since the country launched a nationwide drive to expel what it said were foreigners.
Pakistan launched a repatriation drive of foreign citizens that began in November 2023, with hundreds of thousands of Afghan nationals expelled since. The government initially said it was first focusing on expelling foreigners with no legal documentation and other categories, such as Afghan Citizen Card (ACC) — a document launched in 2017 to grant temporary legal status to Afghan refugees — would be included later.
Earlier this year, the country’s interior ministry asked all “illegal foreigners” and ACC holders to leave the country before Mar. 31, warning that they would otherwise be deported from April 1. Authorities subsequently started deporting thousands of Afghan nationals from all parts of the country.
“Repatriation of Afghan refugees to their homeland continues in a dignified manner,” state broadcaster Radio Pakistan reported on Saturday.
“As per the official statistics, about 15 lakh sixty thousand Afghan refugees have returned to their homeland so far.”
The state broadcaster said Islamabad had reopened its key northwestern Torkham border pass on Saturday to allow Afghan refugees to return to their country.
The border pass was closed last month as tensions spiked between Pakistan and Afghanistan following fierce border clashes that left dozens dead and even more injured.
Islamabad has stressed that Afghan nationals who wish to enter Pakistan for medical treatment, education, or business purposes are welcome to do so provided they obtain a Pakistani visa and carry valid documentation with them.
In total, Pakistan has hosted over 2.8 million Afghan refugees who crossed the border during 40 years of conflict in their homeland.
The deportation drive was launched in November 2023 after Islamabad witnessed a surge in suicide attacks and militancy that it blamed on Afghan nationals, without providing evidence.
Local and international rights organizations have accused Pakistani authorities of harassing Afghan nationals while forcefully repatriating them. The same has been accused by the Afghan Taliban, who have called on Islamabad to allow its nationals to return to their homeland with dignity. Islamabad denies the harassment allegations.
“The repatriation process is being carried out under proper legal procedures,” Radio Pakistan said. “Permission to cross the border is being given only after verification of each person’s documents.”
It added that the paramilitary Frontier Corps and civil administration have arranged food and accommodation for the returning Afghan refugees.