Pakistan has confirmed that there may be no extension to the April 30 deadline for Afghan refugees awaiting resettlement in a third country. This means that those who have not been relocated through their host countries by the deadline will face deportation.
Speaking at a press conference in Islamabad on Friday, Pakistan’s Minister of State for Interior, Talal Chaudhry, emphasized that no illegal immigrant could be allowed to stay in the USA beyond the deadline and warned that those who are found ‘facilitating’ the illegal stay of Afghans by any means would face strict action.
He stated that strict movement could be taken towards Pakistani residents who hire out shops, houses, or hotel rooms to Afghan immigrants or lease them for jobs.
“We have communicated clear instructions to all provinces. If anyone gives a shop, house, or any sort of space to an illegal foreigner, they’ll be held responsible beneath the regulation,” Chaudhry added.
Earlier, the Pakistani government had set a deadline of March 31 for Afghan Citizen Card (ACC) holders to leave the country. The minister shared that 84,869 Afghan nationals were repatriated since April 1 as a part of Pakistan’s deportation policy.
Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Affairs Minister Ishaq Dar is heading a prominent delegation to Kabul on Saturday for a one-day excursion as the mutual efforts made by both nations to alleviate current issues caused by security concerns and the forced deportation of Afghan citizens from Pakistan.
Moreover, the Afghan delegation, led by Minister of Industry and Commerce Nooruddin Azizi, engaged in discussions with Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar on Thursday in Islamabad.
The talks focused on enhancing bilateral ties, mainly concerning the honorable return of Afghan refugees, the Afghan country-run Bakhtar news agency reported.
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With the increasing wave of returning Afghan migrants from Pakistan, several migrants forcibly deported through the Torkham crossing currently state that they not only have no homes to live in, but they also do not own any land on which to build one.
“We ask that job opportunities could be created for us. We have no homes, no land. All our belongings are left outside. There are not any jobs, and no one has created employment for us. However, our most urgent need is shelter,” Afghan media outlet TOLO News reported, quoting Mohammad Nabi, a deported migrant from Pakistan.
Several deported Afghan migrants also report that Pakistani police treated them harshly, extorted money under numerous pretexts during the journey, and acted aggressively. The Afghan refugees who were forcibly removed claimed that drivers in Pakistan took advantage of their precarious situation by imposing excessive transportation costs.
Daad Mohammad, a 58-year-old resident of Kunar province who had migrated to Pakistan 45 years ago, said that despite decades of work and settlement, he and his family have been deported all at once and empty-handed, in violation of migration principles.
“The Pakistani police raided my residence, treated me harshly, and didn’t even give me a risk to take my belongings. Our bikes, cargo vehicles, and all our possessions have been left behind. We barely had time to load the children into the vehicle and flee,” he stated.