Amidst the ongoing nationwide campaign against illegal foreigners and Afghan Citizen Card holders, Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry stated on Thursday that Afghan citizens were being repatriated in a dignified manner.
Addressing a press conference in Islamabad, Talal mentioned that transit points had been established in all provinces to facilitate Afghan citizens, further noting that a helpline had also been set up for the citizens of the neighboring country.
He reiterated that the repatriation of illegal foreign nationals, including Afghan Citizen Card holders, would continue without any extension to the deadline that expired last month.
He reported that, to date, 857,157 illegal foreign nationals and Afghan Citizen Card holders had been repatriated to their respective countries.
It is important to recall that the government had set a deadline of March 31 for them to leave the country.
The minister emphasized that this deadline had passed and there would be no further extension in this regard.
“The one-document regime will be fully implemented, requiring valid visas and passports for entry into Pakistan,” the minister added.
He clarified that Afghan citizens being repatriated could visit, work, and reside in Pakistan under the one-document regime policy, provided they possessed valid visas and passports.
Talal recalled that the policy of repatriating illegal foreign nationals had been in effect since October 30, 2023.
He explained that the repatriation process would be completed in phases. The first phase involved sending back illegal foreign nationals without legal documents. The second phase currently involves the repatriation of Afghan Citizen Card holders to their homeland, while the third phase would involve the deportation of Afghan citizens holding Proof of Registration cards.
The minister highlighted that Pakistan had made this decision after hosting millions of Afghan brethren for decades, explaining that it was taken in light of current ground realities. The minister further stated that it had been observed that Afghan citizens were involved in narcotics trade and terrorism-related activities within Pakistan.
He further elaborated that the revenue generated from narcotics was being used to fund criminal and terrorist activities.
Discussing internal arrangements to ensure the dignity of Afghan Citizen Card holders, Talal affirmed that all provinces, including Azad Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan, were fully on board with this initiative.
He detailed that 38 transit points had been established in Punjab, three in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, two in Sindh, three in Azad Kashmir, and one each in Balochistan, Islamabad, and Gilgit-Baltistan. The minister further explained that Afghan Citizen Card holders were being accommodated at these facilities before their onward journey to Afghanistan. He assured that Afghan Citizen Card holders were being provided with shelter, food, medical care, and transportation facilities, while their honor and dignity were being upheld throughout the repatriation process.
Providing details on the number of registered Afghan nationals, the minister stated that 815,247 Afghans were registered as Citizen Card holders, while 1,469,522 were registered under the Proof of Registration program.
