Islamabad: Pakistan has intensified its efforts to repatriate legal Afghan refugees, particularly those in possession of Afghan Citizen Cards, as reported by ARY News.
The government plans to return approximately 800,000 cardholders to Afghanistan, with arrangements being made to relocate Afghan citizens from Islamabad and Rawalpindi.
This initiative follows the Interior Ministry's implementation of decisions made during a meeting led by the Prime Minister.
Since the commencement of a crackdown on undocumented foreign migrants in September 2023, Pakistan has forcibly repatriated over 825,000 undocumented Afghan refugees, according to United Nations reports.
The government has recently escalated its actions, focusing on both documented and undocumented Afghan refugees.
Sources from ARY News indicate that March 31 has been set as the deadline for the removal of Afghan nationals from the federal capital and Rawalpindi.
Documents reveal that Afghan citizen cardholders will be relocated to other cities by March 31 before being sent to Afghanistan. Additionally, the stay of Afghan nationals seeking to move to a third country has been extended until June 30.
Afghan nationals awaiting visas for other countries will also not be permitted to remain in Islamabad, according to the sources.
The Interior Ministry is required to submit an implementation report to the Prime Minister's Office every 15 days. ARY News reports that if any other country fails to issue a visa, Afghan citizens will be considered to be residing in the country illegally.
