Latest news with #IllegalForeignersRepatriationPlan
The Hindu
16-05-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
India to make a ‘bold move' on Afghanistan
A day after External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar held a telephone conversation with the 'acting Afghan Foreign Minister,' Mawlawi Amir Khan Muttaqi, officials in New Delhi asserted that India will undertake 'bold moves' on Afghanistan and 'do whatever is necessary' in the near future to establish stronger relations with the Taliban-ruled state. As part of that process, South Block will consider the possibility of extending humanitarian assistance to Afghan refugees who have been forcefully repatriated by Pakistan. On Thursday (May 15, 2025), Mr. Jaishankar, in his conversation with Mr. Muttaqi, had indicated that India will also deepen direct humanitarian support to Afghanistan, which has been under Taliban rule since August 2021. Sources informed that some of the requirements of the Taliban administration had been under consideration in India and that Mr. Muttaqi had raised Afghanistan's requirements with Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri when the two met in Dubai on January 8, 2025. The Government of Pakistan, earlier this year under its 'Illegal Foreigners Repatriation Plan', repatriated 80,000 Afghans who were living in various locations in Pakistan, and the process is expected to continue. The expulsion of Afghans who have been living in Pakistan for decades has emerged as a major issue between Kabul and Islamabad, as Pakistan has instructed all provinces that 'illegal foreigners' should not be given houses or shops on rent in any part of the country. Officials in New Delhi said that short of formal recognition, India will make a 'bold move' on Taliban-controlled Afghanistan and that New Delhi attached a 'lot of significance' to the Jaishankar-Muttaqi conversation, as it came in the backdrop of Mr. Muttaqi's upcoming visit to Iran and China next week. Mr. Muttaqi and Mr. Jaishankar had discussed cooperation with the Taliban to take advantage of the Chabahar port in Iran, which is acquiring greater importance as India has banned trade through the Pakistan border. India had cleared 160 Afghan trucks carrying dry fruits and nuts through Attari, but these vehicles remained stranded on the Pakistani side until Friday, when Pakistan allowed them to enter India. The Taliban has described Mr. Muttaqi's upcoming multi-nation visit as part of Afghanistan's 'active foreign policy,' which has been shaping Kabul's 'balanced' posture in South Asia. Officials in New Delhi indicated that India is willing to do 'whatever is necessary' regarding the Taliban in the present context, which has been described as a 'new normal' by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). India had friendly ties with the Afghanistan's government of President Ashraf Ghani which was overthrown by the Taliban in a swift military advance in August 2021. Upon the overthrow of the Ghani government, India had withdrawn officials from its embassy in Kabul and evacuated its missions in Kandahar and Mazar-e-Sharif. However, over the last two years, New Delhi has steadily increased exchanges with Taliban representatives. Since 2021, India has sent 50,000 tonnes of wheat, 350 tonnes of medicines, 40,000 litres of Malathion fertiliser, and 28 tonnes of relief material to Afghanistan, including aid sent after the 2023 Herat earthquake. Despite the growing interactions, India has not granted the Taliban formal recognition, mainly because of the Taliban's human rights record, particularly concerning the continued closure of schools for girls and restrictions preventing women from returning to government jobs. While India has gradually allowed Taliban-appointed individuals to take over Afghan missions in Delhi, Mumbai, and Hyderabad, India's consular work in Afghanistan also continues to remain below its full potential, as India has not reopened its consulates in Kandahar and Mazar-e-Sharif, and the embassy in Kabul is being led by a technical team which took charge of the mission on June 23, 2022. Sources in New Delhi described Mr. Muttaqi's phone call to Mr. Jaishankar as 'bold posturing' by Kabul, as it was preceded by the Taliban's strong condemnation of the Pahalgam terror attack of April 22 and the outfit's growing confilct with Pakistan. Mr. Jaishankar and Mr. Muttaqi have agreed to stay in touch, and it is understood that several upgrades in the bilateral realm may follow in the near future.
Spectator
30-04-2025
- Politics
- Spectator
The hypocrisy of Pakistan's migrant expulsion plan
This month Pakistan has expelled more than 80,000 Afghans in what the government has labelled its Illegal Foreigners Repatriation Plan. In total, since September 2023 the United Nations estimates that approximately 910,000 Afghans have reluctantly returned to their country. Many of these are holders of Afghan Citizen Cards (ACC), which were given to them when they arrived. The Pakistan government has given Afghans until today to leave. After this, they will be forcibly deported. The Interior Ministry has warned landlords that 'strict action' will be taken against them henceforth if they provide accommodation to undocumented Afghans. Pakistan justifies the mass expulsion on security grounds, alleging that many Afghans 'contribute to rising criminal activities within its borders'. Most of those being expelled are not criminals. Many have lived in Pakistan for years, since the Taliban first took control of Afghanistan in the late 1990s.
Express Tribune
18-04-2025
- Politics
- Express Tribune
Govt sets April 30 deadline for undocumented Afghans to leave country
Afghan refugees wait in a queue to cross the Pakistan-Afghanistan border in Torkham on October 27, 2023. PHOTO: AFP Listen to article The government has reaffirmed April 30 as the final deadline for all foreign nationals residing in the country without valid visas to leave, with the Interior Ministry intensifying its crackdown under the Illegal Foreigners Repatriation Plan. The move particularly targets undocumented Afghan nationals, with Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry announcing the renewed push at a press conference in Islamabad on Friday. 'Pakistan has shown unmatched hospitality for decades, but the time has come to strictly enforce our immigration laws,' Chaudhry said. His statement comes ahead of Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar's visit to Kabul, where a high-level Pakistani delegation is set to hold talks with the Afghan government. The government had initially set a March 31 deadline for Afghan citizens lacking legal documents or holding Afghan Citizen Cards to voluntarily return. That deadline was later extended to April 30. Since the start of April, over 84,800 Afghan nationals have been repatriated, according to Chaudhry. He said the process is being handled in a 'lawful, organised, and humane manner,' with coordination from Afghan authorities to ensure a smooth transition. Pakistan has hosted millions of Afghan refugees over the past 40 years, but currently over 2.1 million remain, mostly in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and other provinces. Officials cite rising national security threats as part of the reason behind the crackdown. More than 1,600 people were killed in attacks last year, nearly half of them security personnel. Chaudhry also warned of strict action against Pakistanis providing housing, jobs, or other services to undocumented foreigners. 'If anyone gives a shop, house, or any kind of space to an illegal foreigner, they will be held accountable under the law,' he said. He further revealed intelligence suggesting some weapons left by US forces in Afghanistan have ended up in the hands of terrorists, posing a grave regional threat. 'Our policy is not driven by hostility but by the need to uphold the law, ensure public safety, and protect national interests,' he said.
Al Jazeera
18-04-2025
- Business
- Al Jazeera
Pakistan confirms its expulsion of more than 80,000 Afghans since April 1
Pakistan has confirmed to have repatriated more than 80,000 Afghan nationals since April 1, before an extended April 30 deadline for the country's largest migrant group in an initiative labelled as 'forced deportation' by Afghanistan. Talal Chaudhry, Pakistan's Interior Ministry adviser, told reporters in Islamabad on Friday that there would be no more extensions to the Illegal Foreigners Repatriation Plan launched in late 2023 for more than three million Afghans. 'We have communicated clear instructions to all provinces, if anyone gives a shop, house, or any kind of space to an illegal foreigner, they will be held accountable under the law,' he said. Those lacking valid documents or holding Afghan Citizen Cards had initially been ordered to leave by March 31. That deadline was later extended by a month. On Tuesday, the International Organization for Migration, a UN entity, said Pakistan has expelled nearly 60,000 Afghans since the start of April. 'With a new wave of large-scale returns now under way from Pakistan, needs on the ground are rising rapidly – both at the border and in areas of return that are struggling to absorb large numbers of returnees,' Mihyung Park, head of the IOM's Afghanistan mission, said at the time. More than 1.3 million Afghans who hold Proof of Registration cards from the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, have also been told to move outside the capital Islamabad and the neighbouring city of Rawalpindi. On Saturday, Pakistan's Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar is due to visit Kabul, where he will head a delegation for high-level talks with the Taliban-led government. 'The talks will cover the entire gamut of the Pakistan-Afghan relationship, focusing on ways and means to deepen cooperation in all areas of mutual interests, including security, trade, connectivity, and people-to-people ties,' said a statement from Pakistan's foreign office. The crackdown threatens to uproot Afghan families that have been in the country for decades. Earlier this month, Akber Khan, who owns a restaurant in the northwest Pakistani city of Peshawar, told The Associated Press news agency: 'I have been here for almost 50 years. I got married here, so did my children, and 10 of my family members are buried here. That's why we have no desire to leave.' At least a third of the Afghans Pakistan wants to expel this year live in the northwest province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. 'Afghans can never be completely repatriated, especially from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, as they return using illegal channels or exploiting loopholes in the system despite fencing at the border,' said Abdullah Khan, managing director of the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies, to Al Jazeera. Islamabad has frequently linked Afghan refugees to rising security threats and criminal activity within its borders – allegations rejected by Kabul, which has described the campaign as forced deportation and politically motivated. Authorities in Pakistan say they have established temporary holding centres across multiple cities to process and accommodate Afghan nationals before their return. Most are being transported to the Torkham border crossing in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, the key route into eastern Afghanistan. Human rights groups have criticised the repatriation drive, warning that mass expulsions risk endangering vulnerable people, particularly women and children, who may face insecurity or persecution upon return. Despite these concerns, Pakistani officials maintain that the crackdown targets only those who remain in the country without legal authorisation, insisting the policy is a matter of national security.
Yahoo
18-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Pakistan expels over 80,000 Afghans in push ahead of April 30 deadline, adviser says
By Asif Shahzad ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Pakistan has expelled over 80,000 Afghan nationals since the end of March, a senior official said on Friday, as part of a repatriation drive ahead of the April 30 deadline. Afghan nationals who have no legal documents to stay or those holding Afghan Citizen Cards had been warned by Islamabad to return home or face deportation by March 31, a deadline which was then extended to April 30. The April 30 deadline is final, Talal Chaudhry, an interior ministry adviser told a press conference in Islamabad, underlining that only those Afghans who hold valid visas to be in Pakistan would be allowed to stay. The repatriation drive is part of a campaign called the Illegal Foreigners Repatriation Plan launched in late 2023. Pakistan has in the past blamed militant attacks and crimes on Afghan citizens, who form the largest migrant group in the country. Afghanistan has rejected the accusations, and has termed the repatriation as forced deportation. Chaudhry was speaking just a day before Pakistan's Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar is scheduled to lead a high-powered delegation for talks in Kabul. "The talks will cover the entire gamut of the Pakistan-Afghan relationship, focusing on ways and means to deepen cooperation in all areas of mutual interests, including security, trade, connectivity, and people-to-people ties," a foreign office statement said. Pakistani authorities say they have set up temporary centres in various cities to house the Afghan nationals before transporting them to the Torkham border crossing in northwest Pakistan.
