‘No Afghan refugee being deported forcibly from Pakistan’

QUETTA: Balochistan Caretaker Information Minister Jan Achakzai on Friday rejected criticism of the government’s treatment of Afghans and undocumented immigrants, stating that no Afghan refugee is being forcibly deported from Pakistan, ARY News reported.

Addressing a press conference in Quetta, the provincial minister clarified that action is only being taken against those immigrants who are living in the country without valid documents.

Jan Achakzai emphasised that Pakistan has been hosting over 1.7 million refugees for many years and will continue to do so in the future.

“The Caretaker PM and Balochistan Chief Minister have instructed concerned officials to ensure that no guest’s self-esteem is hurt during the crackdown,” he added.

The minister further noted that a crackdown is underway against those who make fake identity cards (IDs), saying that over 40,000 fake IDs have been blocked in Quetta so far.

He announced that NADRA has blocked over one lakh ID cards so far during the crackdown. He said that more than twenty thousand people have volunteered to leave Pakistan from Chaman Border.

Read More: More than 165,000 Afghans leave Pakistan in a month: officials

Achakzai termed the issuance of a health card in Balochistan as an important milestone. He said that the health card is a gift to the people of Balochistan from the government. Under the health card, every citizen can receive treatment from any hospital up to one million rupees.

The Balochistan government’s crackdown on fake IDs and undocumented immigrants is a necessary step to ensure the security and well-being of all residents of the province.

It is pertinent to mention here that Pakistan’s deadline for illegal immigrants to leave the country voluntarily expired today.

Pakistan, reeling from an economic crisis and a deteriorating law and order situation, asked all illegal immigrants to leave voluntarily before November 1 or face deportation.

Pakistan is home to over millions of Afghan migrants and refugees, of which about 1.7 million are undocumented, officials say.

Read More: Illegal immigrants’ expulsion plan finalized: Sarfaraz Bugti

More than 100,000 Afghan migrants have already left Pakistan since the start of October. More than 80 per cent have left via the Torkham border in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where the majority of Afghan migrants live.