Pakistan authorities intend to deport all illegal Afghan migrants located in the country. This is stated in the message of the Afghanistan Embassy in Islamabad.
According to the report, Afghan citizens in Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan, and the city of Ravalpindi have recently been subjected to detention and searches, have been ordered to leave these two cities.
“The process of detaining Afghan citizens is carried out without any official notification. The Afghanistan Embassy in Islamabad did not receive any official notification through correspondence,” follows from the message.
It is noted that representatives of the Afghan embassy held several meetings with the Pakistani officials to clarify whether these actions are “single incidents” or “part of the official policy that should be published.” The diplomatic mission also indicated that the Office of the UN Supreme Commissioner for Refugees (UN UN) was not aware of this process.
“In the end, representatives of the Pakistan Foreign Ministry confirmed that there is a certain and final plan for the deportation of all Afghan refugees not only from Islamabad and Ravalpindi, but from all over the country in the near future,” the statement said.
Meanwhile, Pakistani officials said that these initiatives are an official decision of the government. According to officials, those Afghans who have valid visas will be allowed to live in Islamabad and Ravalpindi.
It is reported that the embassy is working on a worthy return of Afghan citizens to the country, and also informed its government about the current situation.
Repatriation began in October 2023
According to UN UNC, about 1 million 340 thousand Afghan refugees and 468,800 illegal Afghan migrants are located in Pakistan. Since 2023, more than 820 thousand Afghan refugees returned to their country.
After the change of power in Afghanistan in August 2021, disagreements arose mainly to security.
In particular, the Islamabad administration accuses Kabul of inaction against the fighters of the Technical Taliban Pakistan (TTP), while the Afghan administration rejects these accusations of Islamabad, explaining that Kabul has nothing to do with security problems in Pakistan.
It is reported that the decision of Pakistan to send illegal migrants was made under the influence of political pressure on the Afghan administration and the negative consequences for the country’s economy.