Pakistan’s Interior Ministry on Friday declared that all “illegal foreigners,” including Afghan Citizen Card holders, have to depart by March 31, threatening to start deportations on April 1.
The order is part of Pakistan’s continued crackdown on illegal foreign nationals, mainly Afghan migrants. Islamabad has often associated Afghan nationals with security threats and criminality, a charge Kabul has vehemently rejected.
In a statement, the Interior Ministry reiterated Pakistan’s position as a responsible state that has hosted millions of people for decades. “Pakistan has been a generous host and continues to honor its commitments and obligations,” the ministry said, adding that all those who are still in the country have to comply with legal requirements.
Pakistan began its drive of repatriation in 2023 targeting foreign nationals without valid documentation. The United Nations approximates that more than 800,000 Afghans possess Afghan Citizen Cards in Pakistan, while some 1.3 million are registered with the government legally under the Proof of Residence (PoR) system. Yet the new directive doesn’t specify if the PoR cardholders will be impacted as well.
Since the beginning of Pakistan’s repatriation program, over 800,000 Afghans have been repatriated to Afghanistan, as per UN statistics. Pakistan has received approximately 2.8 million Afghan refugees in the last four decades, most of whom escaped war and turmoil in Afghanistan.
Among the groups affected by the directive are thousands of Afghans who have been trying to resettle in the United States and other Western countries after the Taliban took power in 2021. The new deadline concerns the fate of displaced Afghan nationals who are still waiting to be relocated.