Pak govt finalises arrangements to detain, deport Afghans as deadline nears

Officials in Pakistan said they have completed arrangements to detain and expel a certain category of Afghan citizens after the March 31 deadline for their voluntary return to Afghanistan.

A high-level meeting on Friday reviewed the arrangements to repatriate the Afghan Citizen Card (ACC) holders after the March 31 deadline.

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi chaired the meeting.

The Pakistan government in January asked the ACC holders to leave Pakistan by the end of March or face deportation.

Pakistani authorities refused to reset the deadline for their return despite requests by the Afghan government and rights bodies.

In Friday's meeting, officials informed that all arrangements have been completed to send ACC holders back to Afghanistan.

The officials said that holding centres have been set up to detain Afghan citizens before their deportation, with food and healthcare facilities arranged at the facilities, the Dawn newspaper reported.

Naqvi said the federal government was coordinating with the provinces regarding the repatriation process. He said Islamabad would provide full support to the provinces for the repatriation.

The meeting decided that Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry would visit the provinces to resolve any issues during the repatriation process.

Naqvi also directed the authorities to treat foreign nationals respectfully during the repatriation process.

A door-to-door awareness campaign about the repatriation was underway and the mapping of ACC holders had also been completed, the meeting was told.

According to the UN's International Organisation for Migration, ACC gives temporary legal status to Afghans during their stay in Pakistan.

However, the federal government makes the decision on the duration for which the ACC would remain valid.

A government official told the Dawn newspaper that crackdowns would be launched after the deadline against ACC holders across the country.

He said citizens renting their properties to illegal Afghan nationals will also face consequences.

Search operations would be conducted to track illegal Afghans and their biometric records would be maintained in official records to bar their entry into the country in future.

The identity and travel documents fraudulently obtained by Afghan nations will be cancelled. They will also face imprisonment and fines, along with their abettors, added the official, who wished not to be named.

The meeting also decided to form a committee to consider the recommendation of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur for talks with the Afghan Taliban on terrorism.

He had requested the federal government to formally entrust him with the responsibility of holding talks with the Afghan government. He had also submitted a proposed peace plan to the ministries of interior and foreign affairs.

The repatriation of ACC holders was part of the second phase of the Illegal Foreigners Repatriation Programme, which started in November 2023. The latest move was announced on January 29.

The government also decided to relocate Afghan nationals including those with UNHCR-issued Proof of Registration (PoR) cards out of Islamabad and Rawalpindi by March 31.

The deportation plan has been severely criticised by global human rights bodies.

Earlier this week, Amnesty International deplored the treatment of Afghan migrants by Pakistani authorities. It called the March 31 deadline unyielding and cruel.