PESHAWAR, Pakistan — Pakistan plans to expel 3 million Afghans from the nation this yr, as a deadline for them to voluntarily go away the capital and surrounding areas expired on Monday.
It’s the most recent section of a nationwide crackdown launched in October 2023 to expel foreigners dwelling in Pakistan illegally, largely Afghans. The marketing campaign has drawn hearth from rights groups, the Taliban authorities, and the U.N.
Arrests and deportations had been as a result of start April 1 however had been pushed again to April 10 due to the Eid al-Fitr holidays marking the end of Ramadan, in accordance with authorities paperwork seen by The Related Press.
About 845,000 Afghans have left Pakistan over the previous 18 months, figures from the Worldwide Group for Migration present.
Pakistan says 3 million Afghans stay. Of those, 1,344,584 maintain Proof of Registration playing cards, whereas 807,402 have Afghan Citizen Playing cards. There are an extra 1 million Afghans who’re within the nation illegally as a result of they don’t have any paperwork.
Pakistan stated it’s going to be sure that Afghans don’t return as soon as deported.
Authorities needed Afghan Citizen cardholders to depart the capital Islamabad and Rawalpindi metropolis by March 31 and return to Afghanistan voluntarily or be deported.
These with Proof of Registration can keep in Pakistan till June 30, whereas Afghans bound for third-country resettlement should additionally go away Islamabad and Rawalpindi by March 31.
Authorities have stated they are going to work with overseas diplomatic missions to resettle Afghans, failing which they may even be deported from Pakistan.
Tens of hundreds of Afghans fled after the Taliban takeover in 2021. They had been approved for resettlement within the U.S. by means of a program that helps folks in danger due to their work with the American authorities, media, assist businesses, and rights teams.
Nevertheless, President Donald Trump paused U.S. refugee programs in January and 20,000 Afghans at the moment are in limbo.
The Taliban need Afghan refugees to return with dignity
“No Afghan officers to be made a part of any committee or formal decision-making course of,” one of many paperwork stated in regards to the expulsion plans.
A spokesman for Afghanistan’s Refugee Ministry, Abdul Mutalib Haqqani, advised The Related Press that Pakistan was taking choices arbitrarily, with out involving the U.N. refugee company or the Taliban authorities.
“We’ve got shared our issues with them, stating that unilaterally expelling refugees is neither of their curiosity nor ours,” stated Haqqani. “It’s not of their curiosity as a result of expelling them on this method raises hatred in opposition to Pakistan.
“For us, it’s pure that managing so many Afghans coming again is a problem. We’ve got requested they need to be deported by means of a mechanism and mutual understanding to allow them to return with dignity.”
Two transit stations will probably be arrange within the northwest province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to assist with deportations. One will probably be in Nasir Bagh, an space within the Peshawar suburbs. The second will probably be within the border city of Landi Kotal, some 7 kilometers from the Torkham crossing.
Afghans are not sure of their future in a rustic they don’t know
It’s not clear what’s going to occur to children born in Pakistan to Afghan dad and mom, Afghan {couples} with completely different doc sorts, and households the place one mum or dad is a Pakistani citizen and the opposite is Afghan. However officers indicated to the AP that social welfare workers will probably be available to assist with such instances.
Omaid Khan, 30, has an Afghan Citizen Card whereas his spouse has Proof of Registration. Based on Pakistani authorities coverage, he has to depart however his spouse can keep till June 30. Their two kids don’t have any paperwork, together with passports or identification playing cards from both nation.
“I’m from Paktia province however I’ve by no means been there and I’m not positive about my future,” he stated.
Nazir Ahmed was born within the southwest Pakistani metropolis of Quetta and has by no means been to Afghanistan. His solely connection to the nation was by means of his father, who died in Quetta 4 years in the past.
“How can we go there?” stated Ahmed, who’s 21. “Few folks know us. All our relations dwell in Quetta. What’s going to we do if we go there? We attraction to the Pakistani authorities to provide us a while so we will go and discover out, at the very least get some employment.”
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Related Press author Abdul Sattar contributed to this report from Quetta, Pakistan.
