Nearly 4,000 illegal Afghan nationals repatriated from Rawalpindi in 10 months

RAWALPINDI: Official documents have revealed that 3,942 undocumented Afghan nationals were repatriated from Rawalpindi during the first ten months of this year, ARY News reported.

According to the documents, 2,817 Afghans without valid travel documents were sent back to Afghanistan, while 232 individuals were deported after the expiry of their visas. Additionally, around 22 Afghans holding various identity cards were also repatriated.

The records show that there were 665 ACC (Afghan Citizen Card) holders and 1,394 POR (Proof of Registration) card holders among those detained. In total, 5,154 Afghan nationals were taken into custody during the crackdown, of whom 1,027 were released after verification of their documents.

The documents further state that 185 Afghan nationals are currently being held at the holding center in Rawalpindi.

Earlier, the federal government had decided to repatriate registered Afghan refugees living in the twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi.

According to a notification letter issued by the Prime Minister’s House, the refugees will be relocated by March 31.

The decision is part of a phased repatriation plan, which will initially focus on refugees living in the twin cities. The government has assured that Proof of Registration (PoR) cardholders will not be forcibly evicted.

Approximately 2 million Afghan refugees, including 1.3 million PoR cardholders and 700,000 Afghan Citizen Cards (ACC) holders, are currently residing in Pakistan.

The government has granted PoR cardholders permission to stay in the country until June.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is in contact with international organizations and foreign embassies to facilitate the repatriation process.

Back in 2023, the caretaker government of Pakistan decided to repatriate 1.1 million illegal Afghan nationals back to Afghanistan.

According to sources, the decision to evict illegal Afghan refugees came after the crackdown against terrorism, currency smuggling, and the illegal trade of sugar and fertilizer.

Sources said that the federal cabinet has approved the plan to evict more than 1.1 million illegal Afghan refugees through the Interior Ministry circulation summary.