Provincial and federal authorities in Pakistan are preparing to deport illegal immigrants, giving them less than 24 hours to leave the country as the deadline of November 1 approaches. The Ministry of Interior had previously urged illegal immigrants to leave voluntarily by October 31 or face deportation. This decision applies to all undocumented foreigners in Pakistan, not just Afghan nationals.
Pakistan has hosted over four million Afghan refugees for the past 40 years, despite not being a signatory to the Geneva Convention. Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar mentioned that more than one million undocumented foreigners are currently residing in Pakistan.
According to sources, illegal Afghan residents have started returning to Afghanistan via the Torkham border crossing. From October 1 to 28, around 4,672 families comprising 67,604 people returned to Afghanistan. All of these repatriated Afghans were living illegally in Pakistan and were allowed to return to Afghanistan after fulfilling legal requirements.
The Taliban government in Afghanistan reported that approximately 60,000 Afghans returned from Pakistan between September 23 and October 22, following Pakistan’s announcement to expel undocumented migrants who do not leave. Daily return figures are now three times higher than usual.
In Karachi’s Sohrab Goth area, home to a large Afghan settlement, bus services have seen increased demand to accommodate the exodus. Lines have formed at bus services heading to Afghanistan.
Punjab Inspector General Usman Anwar stated that the phase-wise evacuation of illegal immigrants in the province will commence on November 3. The illegal residents will be expelled from various areas, such as Rawalpindi, Sargodha, Gujranwala, Sheikhupura, Lahore, and will be temporarily held in “holding centers” before deportation.
The Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Mumtaz Zahra Baloch, stated that the expulsion plan is in line with international norms and principles. Pakistan has been hosting millions of Afghan refugees for the past four decades.
Pakistan is home to over four million Afghan migrants and refugees, with about 1.7 million of them lacking proper documentation. Afghans constitute the largest group of migrants in Pakistan, with many arriving after the Taliban’s return to power in Afghanistan in 2021.
The decision to expel illegal immigrants came after the government attributed suicide bombings and terrorist attacks to Afghan nationals. Pakistan, facing financial challenges and an IMF bailout program, also mentioned that undocumented migrants have strained its resources for decades.
The number of people crossing the border into Afghanistan increased significantly after Pakistan announced the November deadline, with approximately 4,000 crossings daily. The information minister for Balochistan province mentioned the opening of three more border crossings.
As the November 1 deadline approaches, Pakistan is preparing to enforce the expulsion of illegal immigrants, processing them in holding centers and then deporting them. Law enforcement agencies will take action against Pakistani citizens aiding undocumented migrants in obtaining false identities or employment.
