Second phase of illegal Afghan refugees’ deportation to begin after Eid

According to reports on Monday, the home ministry has decided to start the second phase of the operation to repatriate unlawful Afghan immigrants after Eidul Fitr. The governments of Sindh, Balochistan, Punjab, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have received orders from the ministry regarding the decision. The decision was made in a video conference chaired by the federal home secretary, in which high-ranking officials and provincial secretaries from all four provinces participated.

The police and other law enforcement organizations in every province will receive lists of all Afghan citizens who possess ID cards from the federal government. According to insiders in the home ministry, all holders of Proof of Registration Cards will be deported during the third phase of the repatriation effort. Up to 500,000 unlawful foreign nationals have been deported since the campaign against them, it was reported at the conference. Shortly after the deadline of November 1, 2023, for illegal immigrants to depart the country willingly, Pakistan initiated a statewide crackdown against them. To expedite the repatriation of tens of thousands of Afghan nationals without documentation, the government established border centers.

Read More: Operation started against illegal Afghan residents

Rejecting appeals from the UN, human rights organizations, and Western embassies to consider removing over a million of the 4 million Afghans living in Pakistan, Pakistan claimed that the Afghans had been complicit in terrorist acts and other crimes that jeopardized national security. Afghanistan refutes the charges, claiming that Pakistan’s security is a domestic issue and urging Pakistan to change its mind.