This marks the first instance in the country's history where the Interior Ministry has issued directives to all provinces for the deportation of illegal foreigners in accordance with the Foreign Act of 1946.
ISLAMABAD: (UrduPoint/Pakistan Point News-Nov 1st, 2023) The Federal government has initiated a nationwide operation to repatriate illegal foreign nationals, including Afghans, after the deadline has expired.
This marks the first instance in the country's history where the Interior Ministry has issued directives to all provinces for the deportation of illegal foreigners in accordance with the Foreign Act of 1946.
The caretaker government has issued a stern warning, stating that strict legal action will be taken against any Pakistani found to be harboring illegal foreign nationals.
The repatriation plan will be applied to all foreigners residing in Pakistan illegally, with no consideration given to their country of origin. Security forces have successfully identified illegal Afghans through mapping and geo-fencing. In Sindh, the identification process for 200,000 illegal foreigners has been completed.
Among the 300,000 Afghan citizens residing illegally in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, those who do not leave voluntarily will be relocated to detention centers. Operations to deport illegal Afghans have also commenced in Punjab and Balochistan, with their data being scrutinized through scanning.
The government's strict measures have led to more than 200,000 Afghan immigrants voluntarily returning to their home countries through Torkham border crossing in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Chaman crossing in Balochistan provinces this month. Thousands of Afghan refugees and migrants in Pakistan are now rushing to the border to return home as the voluntary repatriation deadline has expired.
Starting today, the government will begin arresting undocumented Afghans and transferring them to new holding centers for processing before their forced return to Afghanistan. The number of Afghan refugees waiting to return continues to grow, with Pakistan citing the deportations as necessary to safeguard the welfare and security of the country.
Over the past four decades, Pakistan has hosted more than four million foreigners, predominantly Afghan nationals who sought refuge after the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in the 1980s. Additionally, a significant number of Afghans migrated to Pakistan in the wake of the Taliban's resurgence in 2021, with the Pakistani government estimating that nearly 1.7 million of them lack proper documentation.
