Illegal immigrants asked to leave before October 31 deadline

Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Caretaker Chief Minister Muhammad Azam Khan has urged the undocumented immigrants living in the province to leave before the October 31 deadline.

He said that those who will return willingly will be facilitated and instructions have already been given to the district administration and other relevant departments to help the immigrants.

“The government wants a respectable solution to the issue of illegal immigrants living in Pakistan, said the chief minister in his statement.

Also read: Rally demands ouster of illegal immigrants

Background

Pakistan would not revisit its decision to deport all foreigners, mostly Afghans, living in the country illegally after the concerns raised by human rights organisations over the forced eviction of nearly 1.7 million Afghans, officials said.

Pakistan has given all the illegal immigrants until October 31 to leave voluntarily or face crackdown starting from November 1. The officials said that Islamabad had been approached by human rights organisations and even the relevant UN agencies for the review of the decision.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 19^th, 2023.