- Taliban urged Pakistan to halt Afghan deportations after the March 31 deadline.
- Pakistan’s IFRP has deported 700,000+ Afghans since Nov 2023 and now includes ACC holders.
- Khyber Pakhtunkhwa officials suggested delaying deportations until April 10 due to Eid.
The Taliban controlled Afghan government has urged Pakistan to stop deporting Afghan nationals after the deadline for Afghan Citizenship Card (ACC) holders to leave voluntarily expired on March 31.
Pakistan Interior Ministry had announced on March 6 that all illegal foreigners including ACC holders must leave voluntarily before April 1, 2025. After this date deportation would begin with authorities warning of strict legal action against those who stay illegally.
Pakistan currently hosts 1.52 million registered Afghan refugees and asylum-seekers, around 800,000 ACC holders and many undocumented Afghans according to UNHCR reports.
The Afghan government has expressed concerns stating that even Afghans with valid visas have faced deportation. Afghanistan Minister of Refugees Maulvi Abdul Kabir called on Pakistan and Iran to allow Afghans to return voluntarily rather than forcing them out. He also stressed the need for humane treatment and pointed out reports of mistreatment at border points.
Officials in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province have suggested delaying the repatriation process until April 10 due to Eid Ul Fitr holidays. However there has been no confirmation from the Federal government on whether this suggestion will be accepted.
The Provincial Committee on Illegal Foreigners Repatriation has recently held a meeting in which officials discussed the logistics and funding required for the deportations. The committee agreed that ACC holders should be repatriated after April 10 instead of April 1. They also requested financial support from the federal government as the repatriation program is under its jurisdiction.
So far there has been no update on whether these financial concerns have been addressed.
Pakistan Illegal Foreigners Repatriation Program (IFRP) has been in place since November 2023 resulting in the deportation of over 700,000 undocumented Afghans. The government has now extended the policy to include ACC holders.
Afghanistan Acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi in a recent meeting requested Pakistan’s Special Representative for Afghanistan Mohammad Sadiq to reconsider the deportation timeline.
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