Pakistan has sent back more than 80,000 Afghan nationals since the end of March as part of its ongoing campaign to remove undocumented foreigners, a senior official said on Friday.
The expulsions are part of the “Illegal Foreigners Repatriation Plan” that began in late 2023. Afghan nationals, without proper documents or those holding Afghan Citizen Cards, had been told to leave by March 31. That deadline was later extended to April 30.
“This is the final deadline,” said Talal Chaudhry, an adviser at the Interior Ministry, during a press conference in Islamabad, according to Reuters. He added that only Afghans with valid visas would be allowed to stay in Pakistan, Reuters reported.
Pakistan has often blamed Afghan migrants for security issues and crimes in the country. Afghan officials, however, have strongly rejected these claims and criticised the expulsions as forced deportations.
The development comes just a day before Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar is set to visit Kabul with a high-level delegation for talks with Afghan leaders.
According to a statement from Pakistan’s Foreign Office quoted by Reuters, “The talks will cover the entire gamut of the Pakistan-Afghan relationship, focusing on ways and means to deepen cooperation in all areas of mutual interests, including security, trade, connectivity, and people-to-people ties.”
Authorities in Pakistan have set up temporary centres in several cities to accommodate Afghans before they are moved to the Torkham border crossing in the northwest.
(With inputs from Reuters)
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