Latest news with #AfghanCitizenCard
Hans India
15-05-2025
- Politics
- Hans India
1.3 million Afghan nationals deported from Pakistan since November
As part of the ongoing campaign to deport illegal and Afghan Citizen Card (ACC) holders from Pakistan, the government has repatriated about 1.3 million Afghan nationals since November 2023, Pakistan's Parliamentary Secretary Mukhtar Ahmed Malik said during a meeting. The parliamentary committee overseeing the repatriation drive was informed that the government targetted illegal Afghan nationals living in the country, allowing them the opportunity to leave voluntarily, adding that a parallel operation was launched to crackdown against those who were still present after the deadline of March 31 expired. The committee was told that a warning was issued to all illegal Afghan nationals that they would be deported after the deadline ends. Moreover, the government later on decided to also deport those Afghan nationals who were in possession of Afghan Citizen Card (ACC), thus expanding the domain of the expulsion campaign by the government. Launched in 2017, the ACC grants temporary legal status to Afghan refugees. "There are at least three million Afghan refugees residing in Pakistan. Of these, 813,000 hold Afghan Citizen Cards (ACC) while 1.3 million possess Proof of Registration (PoR) cards," said Mukhtar Ahmed Malik. "Those Afghans who wish to enter Pakistan for medical treatment, education, or business purposes are welcome to do so provided they obtain a Pakistani visa and carry valid documentation with them," he added. On the other hand, there are thousands of Afghan families in Pakistan, who do not wish to go back to Afghanistan, and are demanding the Pakistan government to reconsider their deportation. "I was born in Pakistan, married in Pakistan, have kids in Pakistan. We do not know anything about Afghanistan. My father brought me here when I was a five-year-old. Since then, we are living here," said Rahimullah, an Afghan refugee in Pakistan. "Now, they want us to leave. I ask them, where would we go and what would our children do there? Do they have a future there? We want to request the Pakistan government to reconsider for the sake of the future of our children," he added. Pakistan has been home to over 2.8 million Afghan refugees for over 40 years. However, the deportation drive to expel Afghan nationals from the country began after Islamabad blamed the Afghan Taliban interim government in Kabul for cross-border terrorism supporting and supporting anti-Pakistan groups, including the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). As tensions simmered, Pakistan has made it clear that it would not host Afghan nationals in the country anymore.
Express Tribune
14-05-2025
- Politics
- Express Tribune
1.3 million Afghans repatriated since November, NA told
Afghan nationals wait beside their belongings at the Torkham border's transit point as Pakistan steps up its deportation of undocumented migrants, sending over 2,239 Afghans back across the frontier. PHOTO: ONLINE/ File Listen to article The government has repatriated approximately 1.3 million Afghan refugees in a deportation drive launched since November 2023, Parliamentary Secretary Mukhtar Ahmad Malik said on Wednesday, the Associated Press of Pakistan reported. The government initially said it was first focusing on expelling foreigners with no legal documentation and other categories, such as Afghan Citizen Card (ACC) — a document launched in 2017 to grant temporary legal status to Afghan refugees — would be included later. Responding to a question raised by lawmaker Anjum Aqeel Khan during a parliamentary session, Malik said around 3 million Afghan refugees were residing in Pakistan. 'Of these, 813,000 hold Afghan Citizen Cards (ECC) while 1.3 million possess Proof of Registration (PoR) cards,' he was quoted as saying. He highlighted that Afghan nationals who wish to enter Pakistan for medical treatment, education, or business purposes are welcome to do so provided they obtain a Pakistani visa and carry valid documentation with them. Earlier this year, the country's interior ministry asked all 'illegal foreigners' and ACC holders to leave the country before March 31, warning that they would otherwise be deported from April 1. Authorities subsequently started deporting thousands of Afghan nationals from all parts of the country. In total, Pakistan has hosted over 2.8 million Afghan refugees who crossed the border during 40 years of conflict in their homeland.
Express Tribune
27-04-2025
- Politics
- Express Tribune
Deportation of Afghans continues at Torkham
Afghan nationals wait beside their belongings at the Torkham border's transit point as Pakistan steps up its deportation of undocumented migrants, sending over 2,239 Afghans back across the frontier. PHOTO: ONLINE The process of deporting illegally residing Afghans continued at theTorkhan border crossing in Khyber tribal district of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. Official sources told The Express Tribune that deportations are carried out after completing the necessary legal procedures. According to immigration sources, 1,234 undocumented Afghans were deported on Sunday. Of those who arrived at the Landi Kotal transit camp, 634 were found residing without any documentation, while 272 were holders of Afghan Citizen Cards (ACC). Additionally, 328 Afghan nationals arrested from various districts of Punjab were transferred to the Torkham border. After the completion of legal proceedings, they were deported as well. Immigration sources reported that a total of 58,431 Afghan refugees have been deported since April 1. It may be recalled that on March 17, Pakistan rejected a request by the Afghan Taliban for an extension in the stay of Afghan refugees. The Afghan government was clearly informed that Islamabad would proceed with its plan to deport all illegal immigrants and Afghan Citizen Card (ACC) holders starting April 1.
Express Tribune
19-04-2025
- Politics
- Express Tribune
Low-income Afghans bear brunt of repatriation
Just like in other cities, operations against Afghan nationals are currently ongoing in Karachi as well however, a common complaint surfacing in the port city revolves around the partial treatment of the local police, who are detaining and deporting low-income Afghans while turning a blind eye to those holding wealth and influence. Abdul Rehman and Mohammad Khan, relatives of an Afghan family, who were apprehended from different areas of the city and brought to the Keamari camp, told The Express Tribune that their relatives were poor people, who relied on daily wages to feed their children. "The authorities caught them working near Sohrab Goth, and at that time they did not even have money for food. The police avoid arresting wealthy or business-owning Afghans and instead detain poor individuals just to fulfil their deportation quotas," claimed the two locals. Similarly, Mohammad Tahir, another Afghan, who runs a hotel in the Sohrab Goth area of Karachi, revealed that he hailed from a village in the Kunduz province of Afghanistan and had settled in the port city 35 years ago. Tahir now has six children, three sons and three daughters, all of whom were born, raised and married off in Karachi. "Like my children, most Afghan children living in Karachi were born here and have never even been to Afghanistan. How could they be forced to live in a country they have never even seen? Many Afghan Pashtuns living in Karachi have married their children into local Pashtun families, making it impossible for them to simply leave their spouses and families behind and return to Afghanistan," shared Tahir. According to Moniza Kakar, a human rights lawyer working for the rights of Afghan citizens, most of the Afghan's detained by the police in Karachi thus far have been labourers working in the vegetable market. "The federal government's official directive only applies to the forced repatriation of Afghans holding the Afghan Citizen Card. However, in Karachi, Afghans possessing other valid documents are also being detained and forcibly deported to Afghanistan. The majority of these people are poor," informed Kakar. It is important to note that the federal government initiated a nationwide operation to deport Afghans holding the Afghan Citizen Card after the deadline of March 31st. According to statistics obtained by the Express Tribune from the Sindh Police, approximately 300 Afghans are being detained and deported from Karachi each week following the expiration of this deadline. Sources from Sindh's Home Department have further estimated that around 16,000 Afghan Citizen Card holders reside in Sindh, with most of them living in Karachi. However, the actual number is believed to be much higher than official figures. This is evident from the statements made by legally residing Afghan nationals who claim to have lived in the city for so long that their fourth generations have now been born here. This was also acknowledged by the Afghan refugee leader Maulana Rahimullah during a recent press briefing at the Karachi Press Club. Hence, a large number of Afghan nationals in Karachi and across the country are residing illegally, without any official documentation. In addition to this, another category includes Afghans who entered Pakistan using fake documents and have since established businesses and properties in the country.
Express Tribune
18-04-2025
- Politics
- Express Tribune
Low-income Afghans bear brunt of repatriation crackdown
Listen to article Just like in other cities, operations against Afghan nationals are currently ongoing in Karachi as well however, a common complaint surfacing in the port city revolves around the partial treatment of the local police, who are detaining and deporting low-income Afghans while turning a blind eye to those holding wealth and influence. Abdul Rehman and Mohammad Khan, relatives of an Afghan family, who were apprehended from different areas of the city and brought to the Keamari camp, told The Express Tribune that their relatives were poor people, who relied on daily wages to feed their children. "The authorities caught them working near Sohrab Goth, and at that time they did not even have money for food. The police avoid arresting wealthy or business-owning Afghans and instead detain poor individuals just to fulfil their deportation quotas," claimed the two locals. Similarly, Mohammad Tahir, another Afghan, who runs a hotel in the Sohrab Goth area of Karachi, revealed that he hailed from a village in the Kunduz province of Afghanistan and had settled in the port city 35 years ago. Tahir now has six children, three sons and three daughters, all of whom were born, raised and married off in Karachi. "Like my children, most Afghan children living in Karachi were born here and have never even been to Afghanistan. How could they be forced to live in a country they have never even seen? Many Afghan Pashtuns living in Karachi have married their children into local Pashtun families, making it impossible for them to simply leave their spouses and families behind and return to Afghanistan," shared Tahir. According to Moniza Kakar, a human rights lawyer working for the rights of Afghan citizens, most of the Afghan's detained by the police in Karachi thus far have been labourers working in the vegetable market. "The federal government's official directive only applies to the forced repatriation of Afghans holding the Afghan Citizen Card. However, in Karachi, Afghans possessing other valid documents are also being detained and forcibly deported to Afghanistan. The majority of these people are poor," informed Kakar. It is important to note that the federal government initiated a nationwide operation to deport Afghans holding the Afghan Citizen Card after the deadline of March 31st. According to statistics obtained by the Express Tribune from the Sindh Police, approximately 300 Afghans are being detained and deported from Karachi each week following the expiration of this deadline. Sources from Sindh's Home Department have further estimated that around 16,000 Afghan Citizen Card holders reside in Sindh, with most of them living in Karachi. However, the actual number is believed to be much higher than official figures. This is evident from the statements made by legally residing Afghan nationals who claim to have lived in the city for so long that their fourth generations have now been born here. This was also acknowledged by the Afghan refugee leader Maulana Rahimullah during a recent press briefing at the Karachi Press Club. Hence, a large number of Afghan nationals in Karachi and across the country are residing illegally, without any official documentation. In addition to this, another category includes Afghans who entered Pakistan using fake documents and have since established businesses and properties in the country.
