All Afghan migrants with valid visas were told to depart Pakistan for their homeland or a third nation. The entire Afghans are instructed to leave the country by March 31 or face forced expulsion.
A day following a signal by Afghan officials, the command was given. Pakistan was advised to reduce the pace of its citizens’ deportation by an Afghan relevant Ministry working under the command of Taliban administration.
Late last year, Pakistan initiated the Illegal Foreigners Repatriation Program. It began following a sharp increase in nationwide crimes. Islamabad attributed the violence and criminal activities to Afghan-based insurgents. Those in possession of Afghan Citizen Cards were ordered to depart the country within twenty days. It stated that on April 1st, deportations of registered migrants will start.
According to the government, local authority has now made the decision to send back ACC registrants as well. This comes after the government decided to expel all illegal migrants. “It is recommended that all ACC registrants and illegal foreigners depart the nation voluntarily by the end of the month; deportation will start on April 1, 2025.”
Approximately 900,000 Afghan labor migrants who are officially living in Pakistan are impacted by the policy. From the start of the expelling campaign, over 840,000 Afghan nationals have fled Pakistan. The number includes 40,000 deportees, according to figures issued by the U.N. refugee office.
According to the Pakistani minister, the action demonstrated that enough time had already been allotted for their respectable repatriation. The intention of bringing back ACC holders was accepted by the prime minister of Pakistan less than two months ago, but no timetable was given.
In the list of the nations most impacted by terrorism, Pakistan comes in second. Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan became the terrorist organization with the quickest rate of growth last year. In 2023, the total number of fatalities linked to the group nearly doubled.
Pakistan claims that TTP members are given asylum by the Taliban commanders in Afghanistan. Islamabad claims that terrorist attacks are carried out by Afghan nationals. TTP and its affiliates claim responsibility for the majority of these operations.
Violent Expulsion
Following the twin suicide bombings on Tuesday, an order was issued on Friday to remove Afghan nationals in Pakistan with documentation. The explosion in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa killed 18 people, including five security troops, at a military installation. The 16 jihadists slain in the terrorist assault included Afghan nationals, according to the Pakistani armed forces. It attested to the fact that the assault was planned from Afghanistan. The charges made by Islamabad were refuted by the Afghan authorities.
The UNHCR has seen an increase in Afghan arrests and detentions since the beginning of the current year. The number of detentions was 45 times higher in the same months of the last year. The pattern is in accordance with a directive issued by Pakistan’s interior minister late last year. He urged Afghan nationals to evacuate the capital, as well as the nearby garrison city.
Over 2,600 Afghan nationals have been detained throughout Pakistan in January and February alone. Almost 2,300 were either ACC holders or unregistered. In the capital and surrounding districts, about 1,200 people were taken into custody.
Pakistani authorities expelled 1,000 Afghans in the first month of 2025. Over 800 of them, including women and children, were collected up from Rawalpindi, the so-called garrison city, and the capital.
