Depts clueless as Afghan repatriation nears

Officials uncertain in absence of guidelines as deadline looms

PESHAWAR:

The deadline for the mass repatriation of Afghan nationals from Pakistan is just 10 days away, but the federal government has yet to provide clear guidelines, leaving the relevant departments in the dark.

Official sources told The Express Tribune that the federal government has not issued any directives to the concerned authorities regarding the repatriation of refugees, causing confusion among them.

The government set March 31 as the deadline for Afghan refugees residing in Pakistan to voluntarily return to their country. After the deadline passes, deportations will begin.

Despite being responsible for Afghan refugees under federal administration, the Afghan Commissionerate has not received any official instructions from the government.

Meanwhile, Afghan refugees have started winding up their businesses and preparing to leave Pakistan, a country that has hosted them for more than four decades.

Some Afghans are hoping for an extension of the deadline. However, the federal government has signalled that it will not grant an extension this time, as relations with Kabul have reached an all-time low in recent months.

Background

Pakistan has turned down a request by the Afghan Taliban to grant an extension in the stay of Afghan refugees. Kabul has been conveyed in clear terms that Islamabad will stick to its plan for deporting all illegal and Afghan Citizen Card (ACC) holders from April 1.

In a major policy decision, Pakistan on March 7 announced that ACC holders had until March 31 to leave the country or face deportation.

There are around 800,000 ACC holders in Pakistan but after March 31 they will be treated as illegal aliens.

Reports were doing rounds that Pakistan was planning to evict all Afghans from the country but this was for the first time the Ministry of Interior officially confirmed the development.

"Illegal Foreigners Repatriation Program (IFRP) has been implemented since 1 November 2023. In continuation to the Government's decision to repatriate all illegal foreigners, national leadership has now decided to also repatriate ACC holders," read the official handout of the ministry issued on March 7.

"All illegal foreigners and ACC holders are advised to leave the country voluntarily before 31 March 2025; thereafter, deportation will commence wef [with effect from] 1 April 2025," the statement added.

Pakistan said sufficient time had already been granted for a dignified return of Afghan migrants. Following issuance of this deadline, the Taliban government approached Pakistan through diplomatic channels with a request not to deport their nationals and give them more time.