Islamabad: As part of the Government Plan to repatriate all illegal foreigners, on March 31 it has been officially established as the deadline for the headlines of the Afghan Citizens Card (ACCS) to abandon voluntarily Pakistan, with a renewed warning by the Interior Ministry that mass deportations would begin later.
A leaked document seen by Sunrise Indicated ACS that remain in Islamabad and Rawalpindi would be transferred and sent back to Afghanistan as part of a multi -phase relocation plan for Afghan migrants, including those who expect resettlement in third countries.
The document shows that the registration card holders (by), who had allowed a prolonged stay in the country until June 30, 2025, would be relocated to Islamabad and Rawalpindi to another area.
The Prime Minister issued a directive for this purpose, according to the document.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said to coordinate with embassies to accelerate the relocation of the promised settlements in third countries
ACCS will be relocated immediately as part of phase I together with undocumented Afghans and finally repatriated to Afghanistan, according to the document.
In this sense, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has had the task of coordinating with foreign embassies to accelerate its relocation. If immediate arrangements are made, these people will also be repatriated to Afghanistan.
Intelligence agencies, including ISI and IB, have had the task of monitoring the implementation of the relocation plan and aimed at providing periodic updates to the PM office.
The measure further complicates the resettlement of 15,000 Afghans waiting for relocation to the United States, as promised under evacuation and resettlement efforts after the withdrawal of the United States of Afghanistan in 2021.
Last month, President Donald Trump had arrested the United States refugee admission program to evaluate whether to restore it would serve the interests of Washington, leaving at least 15,000 Afghan allies in Pakistan approved or evaluated for relocation to the United States in a state of uncertainty.
Pakistan has been the home of millions of Afghan migrants for decades, including those who fled after the return of the Taliban to power in 2021. Officials estimate that more than 800,000 documented migrants contain cards of Afghan citizens, while many others remain undocumented.
Pointing out that the illegal foreigners’s repatriation program (IFRP) was being implemented since November 1, 2023, the Interior Ministry in a statement mentioned that sufficient time for its dignified dignity had already been granted.
Pakistan has been a friendly host and continues to fulfill his commitments and obligations as a responsible state. “It is reiterated that people who stay in Pakistan will have to fulfill all legal procedures and comply with the Constitution of Pakistan,” reads the statement.
He declared that no one would be abuse during the repatriation process and arrangements for their food and medical care had also been implemented.
An official said Sunrise That Pakistan was not a signatory to the United Nations Convention in 1951 or its 1967 protocol on refugees, however, the country received millions of Afghan refugees for several decades.
UN concerns
A week after Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif approved a multi -track plan of stages that addresses almost three million Afghan citizens residing in Pakistan, United Nations agencies focused on refugees and migration had jointly expressed their concerns about the new round of mass deportations of Afghan refugees and applicants of Asil.
They include legally declared refugees, documented and undocumented migrants, and those who expect a promised relocation to the United States and other Western countries.
In a joint statement, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the International Migration Organization (IIM) said that “they are looking for clarity about the modality and term of this relocation.”
Both agencies urged Pakistan to consider human rights standards by implementing relocation measures. This includes guaranteeing due process for legal refugees and economic migrants to whom Pakistan has granted the Afghan citizen cards in collaboration with the IIM, the statement explained.
“Forced return to Afghanistan could place some people with greater risk. We urge Pakistan to continue providing security to Afghans at risk, regardless of their documentation status, ”said Philippa Candler, representative of the UNHCR country.
Mio Sato, the IIM Mission Chief in Islamabad, said his organization was committed to working with the Pakistani government and the UNHCR to develop a mechanism to register, manage and evaluate Afghan citizens in Pakistan.
“This will open the door to personalized solutions, including international protection to the needy and roads for Afghan citizens with socioeconomic and family ties of long data in the country,” he said.
Posted in Dawn, March 8, 2025
