- The deportees include 191 men, 37 women and 79 children.
- Memon says that only those who illegally reside are expelled.
- Wishes to continue to campaign against undocumented migrants.
Karachi: At least 307 illegal Afghan immigrants were expelled from the Sindh insofar as government policy to deport all undocumented foreign nationals, Sharjeel Inam Memon said on Sunday.
In a statement, Memon said that illegal immigrants had been repatriated from the Amin House transit camp after in -depth verification, legal proceedings and history checks. He said the deportees included 191 men, 37 women and 79 children.
The federal government announced in early March that 800,000 Afghan citizen cards (ACC) would be canceled – the second phase of an expulsion program which has already forced 800,000 Afghans undocumented across the border.
The country has welcomed millions of Afghans for about five decades. Hundreds of thousands of them have returned to their country in recent years, but more than 2.1 million have lived in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and other provinces.
Pakistan had set March 31 as a deadline for all illegal Afghans as well as those who had ACC cards to return to their country in the midst of growing terrorism incidents in the country.
Last year was the deadliest year in almost a decade in Pakistan, with more than 1,600 people lost their lives in attacks – almost half of them of security forces – according to the Center for Research and Security Studies, based in Islamabad.
Pakistan accuses the Taliban government of not having eliminated the militants of the shelter on Afghan soil, an accusation that the Taliban government denies.
The Taliban government has repeatedly called upon the return “worthy” of Afghans to their country, Prime Minister Hassan Akhund urging the countries that welcome Afghans not to force them.
On February 13, the Minister of the Interior asked the Sindh government to initiate the repatriation of all the holders of the ACC to their country of origin within the framework of the repatriation of illegal foreigners (IFRP). As part of the plan, the voluntary return until the end of March 31 and the “forced repatriation” of April 1 began.
Memon, in the press release today, an initial list of 313 people had been compiled and, following a screening process, 307 were deemed eligible for expulsion. He noted that only those who illegally reside in the country are expelled.
The Minister reaffirmed the government’s commitment to continue the campaign against undocumented migrants in accordance with international laws and protocols.
“Pakistan catches up with illegal immigrants in accordance with global principles,” he said, adding that the Sindh government’s operation will remain underway.
Number of Afghan refugees in Pakistan
According to data obtained by Geo NewsThere are currently 2.1 million Afghan refugees recorded and not recorded in Pakistan.
Sources of the Ministry of States and Border Regions (SAFRON) indicate that 1.4 million Afghan refugees are legally registered, while 800,000 Afghan nationals hold an “Afghan citizen card” (ACC), but their stay is now considered illegal.
However, the government says that the total number of Afghan refugees in Pakistan is three million, which should all be repatriated this year as part of the illegal foreign nationals deportation plan.
Four categories
Afghan nationals residing in Pakistan for decades are divided into four categories.
The first category is made up of Afghan citizens who fled in Pakistan due to instability in Afghanistan and obtained the official status of refugees. In 2007, Pakistan issued recording evidence (POR) to these refugees, who now have around 1.3 million. The government only published these cards once, periodically renewing them, the current validity expiring on June 30, 2025.
The second category includes Afghan nationals who have received Afghan citizen cards (ACC). About 800,000 people received these cards in 2016, and they are now repatriated as part of the government’s expulsion efforts.
The third category includes Afghan nationals who fled in Pakistan after taking control of the Taliban in 2021. These people obtained asylum in the context of international protocols. While the Pakistani government initially said that 600,000 Afghans arrived after the US withdrawal, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said that only 200,000 have been officially recorded.
The fourth category includes undocumented Afghan nationals who do not have the POR and AC status and are not registered as an asylum seekers 2021. This category also includes those who married Pakistan and have obtained false national identity cards. Over the past two years, the national database and the registration authority (NADRA) has canceled these fraudulent IDs thanks to its national verification and its renewal campaign, now classifying these people as illegal residents.