With just two days remaining before the deadline for illegal foreign residents and Afghan Citizen Card (ACC) holders to leave Pakistan, authorities on Saturday reaffirmed that the repatriation process will be conducted without mistreatment.
The government has assured that food and healthcare facilities have been arranged for those returning. However, strict legal action will follow against individuals who remain in Pakistan beyond the deadline.
It is pertinent to note that, as per the government's directive, all undocumented foreign nationals and ACC holders must exit the country by March 31.
By March 28, the number of Afghan nationals who had left Pakistan had risen to 882,768, and the process continues at full pace.
It is pertinent to note that a high-level meeting on Friday was briefed that the government has completed preparations to detain and deport a specific category of Afghan nationals once the March 31 deadline for voluntary repatriation expires.
Chaired by Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, the meeting was informed that all necessary arrangements had been put in place to repatriate ACC holders.
Officials stated that holding centres have been established to accommodate Afghan nationals before their deportation, equipped with food and healthcare facilities.
Naqvi said that the federal government was closely coordinating with provincial authorities to ensure a smooth repatriation process. He assured that Islamabad would extend full support to the provinces in executing the operation.
Meanwhile, the UN's International Organisation for Migration (IOM) reported a surge in the number of Afghan citizens returning to their home country - either voluntarily or through deportation.
The report noted that the number of returning Afghans in the third week of March was 102% higher than those leaving Afghanistan during the same period.
According to IOM's flow monitoring snapshot, 73,364 people entered Afghanistan, whereas 36,166 Afghans left the country during the same timeframe.
The report attributed this unusual rise in movements from both Pakistan and Iran to voluntary returns of Afghan nationals.
Additionally, compared to the previous week, inflow into Afghanistan rose by 2%, while outflow declined by 13%, highlighting the ongoing trend of repatriation.
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