Afghan refugees' repatriation to begin today as voluntary return deadline ends

The process of repatriation for Afghan refugees residing illegally in Pakistan is set to begin today (Tuesday) as the March 31 deadline for voluntary return has expired.

Pakistan launched the deportation drive in 2023 following a spike in suicide attacks that the government believes were carried out by Afghan nationals. Islamabad also blamed them for smuggling, militant violence, and other crimes.

Sources affiliated with the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Home Department said that the deportation of Afghan refugees will commence today (April 1).

Despite requests from the Taliban government, the federal government decided last week not to extend the deadline for the deportation of Afghan refugees.

The government also requested the provincial authorities' records of Afghan students in KP by March 27 to update the Foreign National Security Cell’s dashboard, which tracks foreign nationals.

Meanwhile, officials in the Khyber district say that temporary camps have been set up in Landi Kotal and Peshawar to facilitate the refugees’ repatriation.

According to a report by Radio Pakistan, a total of 878,972 Afghans residing illegally in Pakistan have returned to their home country so far.

Human rights organisation Amnesty International has called on Pakistan to revoke its “opaque” Illegal Foreigners Repatriation Plan, which involves the deportation of Afghan citizens and other undocumented immigrants.

In a statement, Amnesty warned that Islamabad’s March 31 deadline for Afghan refugees would further worsen their hardships.

It merits mention that Pakistan is home to 2.1 million documented Afghan refugees, in addition to hundreds of thousands of undocumented Afghan nationals who have been living in the country for decades.

“Out of the total 2.1 million, 1.3 million Afghan refugees are those who have obtained Proof of Registration Cards. Over 52% of them are in KP,” said United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) spokesperson Qasier Afridi.

He added that around 800,000 Afghans have obtained Afghan Citizen Cards (ACC), with the majority residing in KP.

The country has hosted millions of Afghans for nearly five decades. Hundreds of thousands have returned to their homeland in recent years, yet over 2.1 million still reside in KP and other provinces.

Pakistani authorities set March 31 as the deadline for all illegal Afghan nationals, including those holding ACC cards, to return to their country.

There are tens of thousands of Afghans who were born in Pakistan and have hardly ever visited their homeland.

Many are deeply concerned as the deadline approaches, particularly during the holy month.

Peshawar hosts the highest number of Afghan nationals of any city. Thousands run their own businesses, while others have been employed in the city for decades. They reside in various urban, suburban, and rural areas alongside the local population.

In 2023, the government had set an October 31 deadline solely for unregistered foreigners, after which a large number of undocumented Afghans returned to their homeland via Torkham and other border crossings.