Afghan repatriation continues at Torkham

The deportation of Afghan refugees through the Torkham border crossing has continued without interruption since the beginning of this month.

Official sources told The Express Tribune that around 2,758 Afghan refugees voluntarily arrived at the Landi Kotal transit camp on Sunday. After completing the necessary legal formalities, they were deported via the Torkham border.

In addition, 756 Afghan nationals from various districts of Punjab were directly transferred to the Torkham border without being taken to the transit camp. Separately, 59 Afghans detained at the Jumma Khan Colony transit camp in Peshawar were also deported via the same route.

According to officials, a total of 33,258 Afghan nationals have been deported through Torkham since April 1 .

It may be recalled that on March 17, Pakistan rejected a request by the Afghan Taliban for an extension in the stay of Afghan refugees. The Afghan government was clearly informed that Islamabad would proceed with its plan to deport all illegal immigrants and Afghan Citizen Card (ACC) holders starting April 1.

In a major policy decision, the government of Pakistan had announced on March 7 that ACC holders must leave the country by March 31 or face deportation. There are an estimated 800,000 ACC holders residing in Pakistan. After the deadline, they are now being treated as illegal aliens.

Reports were doing the 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.

Official sources told The Express Tribune that the Pakistani decision was final and there would be no relaxation. Sources said relevant authorities and all the four provinces have been given instructions to make appropriate arrangements for the return of Afghan refugees.

Over 8,00,000 Afghans living in Pakistan illegally have been repatriated to their country since Pakistan launched the campaign in November 2023. Pakistan, however, had spared those who were registered with the UNHCR or had the ACC.

There are around 3 million Afghans still residing in Pakistan. The Afghan government recently raised concerns about forced deportation of their nationals and alleged that mistreatment was being meted out to them.

Pakistan, however, denied those charges and asked the Afghan Taliban government to create an environment in the country to encourage the dignified return of their countrymen.

The move will aggravate the already tense ties between the two countries.