• Rawalpindi police chief orders the expulsion of Afghan refugees residing in the district; The families of those “are involved in criminal activities” that can be deported
• The holders of allowed to stay until June 30, but the owners of ACC must leave the country voluntarily or face the deportation
• UNHCR requires a comprehensive approach to address the needs of ‘Pakistan, Afghanistan and Afghas’, says that Islamabad cannot do it alone
Rawalpindi/Islamabad: As the government’s deadline for the headlines of the Afghan Citizens Card (ACC) to leave the country ends today, officials responsible for enforcing the law in twin cities have received the order of NAB and deporting the Afghan citizens who are involved in criminal activities, together with their families.
March 31 was also the deadline established by the authorities to change all the Afghan citizens of the twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad.
Sources said Sunrise The Rawalpindi police chief has ordered the superintendents of the divisions of Rawal, Potohar and Saddar to undertake legal actions against illegal Afghan citizens who reside or work in the district.
Police have been aimed at arresting Afghans who are involved in criminal activities. However, the order advocates a form of collective punishment, stating that if any family member is involved in a crime, the whole family will be responsible for deportation.
After the orders of the police officer of the city of Rawalpindi (CPO), all the officers of the house (SHO) have been aimed at detaining the Afghan citizens who reside in their respective jurisdictions, as well as in their families.
“We have received instructions that all Afghan nationals who have ACC cards must be expelled from Rawalpindi and Islamabad,” said a police officer to Sunrise Sunday.
In addition, the directives indicate that Afghans who have registration cards (by) that reside in twin cities should be noted that they and their families have to leave Pakistan in line with government policy. The deadline for card holders to leave the country is June 30, 2025. However, there is no clarity in the police order about whether documented refugees will be evicted by the authorities.
Police have continued search operations in different parts of the Rawalpindi district to verify residents, especially those who had been living in rented properties.
Since repression against illegal foreigners in January of this year was launched, to 923 Afghan nationals were rounded and transferred to the refugee tenure center near Golra Mor.
The official data show that as of March 26, 923 national Afghan had been taken to the camp, of which 715 were released after scrutiny. At least 213 were sent to Torkham for repatriation.
The data also reveal that in addition to 116 holders of ACC, 290 card holders for and 21 tokens headlines of the ACNUR had been arrested in the center. In addition, at least 24 people who had requested the resettlement of the third country had also been brought to the center.
‘Pakistan and Afghanistan must work together’
Separately, a statement by the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) acknowledged that the Pakistan hospitality extended to refugees while emphasizing that the solution is in “all of us working together: Afghanistan, Pakistan and the international community.”
In his message EID, the UNHCR Pakistan representative, Philippa Candler, said that Pakistan could not be expected to have the responsibility of organizing Afghan refugees forever, and advocating a comprehensive approach that addressed both immediate and long -term needs of Pakistan, Afghanistan and the Afghan themselves.
She said the international community has an important role to play, adding that humanitarian aid must continue, not only to provide short -term relief, but to support long -term development programs.
According to the UN official, Pakistan and Afghanistan must work together to make sure that Afghan refugees can return voluntary and safely home. He noted that those who were pushed back in 2023 are back in Pakistan again.
She said that sustainable yields means creating a peaceful and safe environment in Afghanistan so that refugees do not have to fear persecution or discrimination when they return.
He pointed out that for Afghans who cannot return safely at the moment, efforts in Pakistan must be made to expand access to education, health and employment opportunities, while giving them legal recognition and protection under the International Refugee Law.
Pakistan houses 1.52 million registered Afghan refugees and asylum seekers, approximately 800,000 headlines of Afghan citizenship, along with others living in the country without official recognition.
“Pakistan’s continuous support for Afghan refugees is admirable, but without a doubt a challenge for the host state,” he said, added that medical care, education and other public services were often overloaded, and host communities felt the tension.
Pakistan is caught in a difficult place: to balance the needs of his own people, deal with a growing security challenge and assume the financial impact of organizing refugees, Candler added.
The representative of the UN Refugee Agency said promises were made for the relocation of Afghans who have entered the country since 2021.
Posted in Dawn, March 31, 2025
