Over 0.5m illegal immigrants repatriated, Senate told

Interior ministry says close to 1.15m still residing in country

ISLAMABAD:

More than 500,000 illegal immigrants had been repatriated so far under the government’s deportation drive against illegal aliens, the interior ministry informed the Senate on Tuesday. The reply was submitted in response to a question raised by Senator Mohsin Aziz on the number of illegal residents in the country as well as the number of those who were deported.

In Oct 2023, the government had given an ultimatum to all undocumented immigrants, especially the Afghans, to leave the country by Oct 31, warning that in failing to do so they would risk imprisonment and deportation to their respective countries.

After the deadline lapsed, the caretaker government formally initiated a nationwide crackdown to expel illegal foreign nationals, majority of whom were Afghans. As the move prompted criticism from Afghanistan and human rights groups, the government insisted that it was not aimed at any particular ethnic group.

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In its reply, the interior ministry elaborated on the number of deportations. “Around 1.7 million illegal aliens are unlawfully living in the country, majority of whom are Afghans. They are living without any legal documentation necessary for staying in the country. Approximately, 541,210 people have been sent back after the cabinet’s approval of the deportation plan for illegal residents,” the ministry said, adding that close to 1.15 million were still residing in the country.

The ministry said that efforts were under way to identify and deport the remaining people. It added that 271,985 people were repatriated via Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and 159,161 through Balochistan. It said that according to data from the Integrated Border Management System, a further 110,064 had also left the country.