Pakistan extends deadline for expulsion of Afghans due to Eid

The Government of Pakistan has postponed a deadline for hundreds of thousands of Afghans to return to their country due to Eidul Fitr holidays marking the end of Ramadan, a government official told AFP on Tuesday.

In early March, Islamabad announced a deadline of the end of the month for Afghans holding certain documentation to leave the country, ramping up a campaign to send Afghans back to their homeland.

"The deadline has been extended until the beginning of next week due to Eid holidays," the official said on the condition of anonymity as he was not authorised to speak to the media.

Afghans holding Afghan Citizen Cards (ACC) -- issued by Pakistan authorities and held by 800,000 people, according to the United Nations -- face deportation to Afghanistan after the deadline.

More than 1.3 million Afghans who hold Proof of Registration (PoR) cards from the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, are also to be moved outside the capital Islamabad and neighbouring city Rawalpindi.

In an earlier statement, the Ministry of Interior had asked Afghan citizen card-holders, staying in Pakistan, to leave the country by March 31. The Afghan nationals will be deported from April 1, the ministry added.

“Illegal Foreigners Repatriation Program (IFRP) is being implemented since November 1, 2023. In continuation of the government’s decision to repatriate all illegal foreigners, national leadership has now decided to also repatriate ACC holders,” the interior ministry said in an earlier official handout.

“All illegal foreigners and ACC holders are advised to leave the country voluntarily before March 31, 2025; thereafter, deportation will commence from April 1, 2025,” the statement added.

The interior ministry said that sufficient time had already been granted for their dignified return. “It is emphasised that no one will be maltreated during the repatriation process and arrangements for food and healthcare for returning foreigners have also been put in place,” the ministry added.

“Pakistan has been a gracious host and continues to fulfil its commitments and obligations as a responsible state. It is reiterated that Individuals staying in Pakistan will have to fulfil all legal formalities and abide by Pakistan’s Constitution,” it said.

Over 800,000 Afghans living in Pakistan illegally were repatriated to their country since Pakistan launched the campaign in November 2023. It is estimated that around three million Afghans still reside in Pakistan.

The UN says nearly three million Afghans live in Pakistan, many having fled there over decades of war in their country and after the return of the Taliban to power in Afghanistan.

"Many have been living in the country for years and going back means going back to nothing," Pakistani human rights lawyer Moniza Kakar told AFP.

Ties between the neighbouring countries have frayed since the Taliban takeover, with Pakistan accusing Kabul's rulers of failing to root out militants sheltering on Afghan soil, a charge the Taliban government denies.

A delegation from Islamabad met with officials in Kabul in March, with Pakistan emphasising the importance of security in Afghanistan for the region.

The Taliban government has repeatedly called for the "dignified" return of Afghans to their country, with Prime Minister Hassan Akhund urging countries hosting Afghans not to force out them out. "We ask that instead of forced deportation, Afghans should be supported and provided with facilities," he said in an Eid message the day before Pakistan's original deadline.

Following an ultimatum from Islamabad in late 2023 for undocumented Afghans to leave Pakistan, more than 800,000 Afghans returned between September 2023 and the end of 2024, according UN figures.–AFP