Latest news with #ProofofRegistration
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.
Arab News
21-04-2025
- Politics
- Arab News
Pakistan says 979,486 Afghan nationals deported since 2023 as expulsion drive continues
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has deported 979,486 Afghan nationals since the government launched an expulsion drive against illegal foreigners in 2023, state-run media reported on Monday, reiterating that authorities are ensuring their return takes place in a 'dignified' manner. Islamabad launched the deportation campaign in November 2023, asking all foreigners without legal documentation to leave the country. Earlier this year, it launched the second phase of deportations, setting a deadline of Mar. 31 for people with Afghan Citizen Cards (ACCs) — which since 2017 have granted temporary legal status to Afghans — to leave the country or face being deported. According to United Nations data, Pakistan has hosted more than 2.8 million Afghan nationals who crossed the border in a desperate attempt to escape decades of war and instability in their home country. Around 1.3 million are formally registered as refugees and hold Proof of Registration (PoR) cards, which grant them legal protection. Another 800,000 Afghans possess ACCs, a separate identity document issued by the Pakistani government that recognizes them as Afghan nationals without conferring refugee status. 'The total number of illegal Afghan nationals leaving Pakistan has reached 979,486,' Radio Pakistan said in a report. 'Three thousand, three hundred and eighty-seven illegal Afghan nationals were sent back to their homeland yesterday [Sunday].' Pakistan established a 24/7 federal control room on Sunday to assist Afghan nationals and respond to harassment complaints during their repatriation. The decision came a day after Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar visited Kabul to discuss with the Afghan Taliban the issues linked to the mass return of Afghan nationals. Last week during his visit to Pakistan, Afghan refugees minister proposed the formation of a high-level committee comprising officials from Pakistan, Afghanistan and relevant international organizations to address 'refugee-related issues in a coordinated manner.' Afghanistan has called for the peaceful and coordinated repatriation of its citizens amid reports of arrests and harassment during Pakistan's mass expulsion drive. Islamabad denies the accusations and has urged Kabul to facilitate the reintegration of its citizens. Pakistan's deportation policy in 2023 followed a rise in militant attacks, particularly in the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province that borders Afghanistan. Islamabad has in the past blamed militant attacks and other crimes on Afghan citizens, who form the largest portion of migrants in the country. The government says militants, especially from the Pakistani Taliban also known as the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), are using safe havens in Afghanistan and links with Afghans residing in Pakistan to launch cross-border attacks. The ruling administration in Kabul has rejected the accusations.
Al Arabiya
19-04-2025
- Politics
- Al Arabiya
Pakistan foreign minister due in Afghanistan as deportations rise
Pakistan's foreign minister was due to visit Afghanistan on Saturday after his country expelled more than 85,000 Afghans, mostly children, in just over two weeks. Islamabad has launched a strict campaign to evict by the end of April more than 800,000 Afghans who have had their residence permits cancelled -- including some who were born in Pakistan or lived there for decades. Convoys of Afghan families have been heading to border towns each day fearing the 'humiliation' of raids, arrests or being separated from family members. Pakistan's foreign office said its top diplomat Ishaq Dar will hold meetings with senior Afghan Taliban officials, including Prime Minister Hasan Akhund during a day-long visit. 'There will not be any sort of leniency and extension in the deadline,' Pakistan's deputy interior minister Tallal Chaudhry told a news conference on Friday. 'When you arrive without any documents, it only deepens the uncertainty of whether you're involved in narcotics trafficking, supporting terrorism, or committing other crimes,' he added. Chaudhry has previously accused Afghans of being 'terrorists and criminals,' but analysts say it is a politically motivated strategy to put pressure on Afghanistan's Taliban government over escalating security concerns. He said on Friday that nearly 85,000 Afghans have crossed into Afghanistan since the start of April, the majority of them undocumented. The United Nations' refugee agency said on Friday more then half of them were children -- entering a country where girls are banned from secondary school and university and women are barred from many sectors of work. Second phase of deportations The United Nations says nearly three million Afghans have taken shelter in Pakistan after fleeing successive conflicts. Pakistan was one of just three countries that recognized the Taliban's first government in the 1990s and was accused of covertly supporting their insurgency against NATO forces. But their relationship has soured as attacks in Pakistan's border regions have soared. Last year was the deadliest in Pakistan for a decade with Islamabad accusing Kabul of allowing militants to take refuge in Afghanistan, from where they plan attacks. The Taliban government denies the charge. In the first phase of deportations in 2023, hundreds of thousands of undocumented Afghans were forced across the border in the space of a few weeks. In the second phase announced in March, the Pakistan government cancelled the residence permits of more than 800,000 Afghans, warning those in Pakistan awaiting relocation to other countries to leave by the end of April. More than 1.3 million who hold Proof of Registration cards issued by the UN refugee agency have been told to leave Islamabad and the neighboring city of Rawalpindi.
Arab News
19-04-2025
- Politics
- Arab News
Pakistan foreign minister due in Kabul as deportations rise
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's foreign minister was due to visit Afghanistan on Saturday after his country expelled more than 85,000 Afghans, mostly children, in just over two weeks. Islamabad has launched a strict campaign to evict by the end of April more than 800,000 Afghans who have had their residence permits canceled — including some who were born in Pakistan or lived there for decades. Convoys of Afghan families have been heading to border towns each day fearing the 'humiliation' of raids, arrests or being separated from family members. Pakistan's foreign office said its top diplomat Ishaq Dar will hold meetings with senior Afghan Taliban officials, including Prime Minister Hasan Akhund during a day-long visit. 'There will not be any sort of leniency and extension in the deadline,' Pakistan's deputy interior minister Talal Chaudhry told a news conference on Friday. 'When you arrive without any documents, it only deepens the uncertainty of whether you're involved in narcotics trafficking, supporting terrorism, or committing other crimes,' he added. Chaudhry has previously accused Afghans of being 'terrorists and criminals,' but analysts say it is a politically motivated strategy to put pressure on Afghanistan's Taliban government over escalating security concerns. He said on Friday that nearly 85,000 Afghans have crossed into Afghanistan since the start of April, the majority of them undocumented. The United Nations' refugee agency said on Friday more than half of them were children — entering a country where girls are banned from secondary school and university and women are barred from many sectors of work. The United Nations says nearly three million Afghans have taken shelter in Pakistan after fleeing successive conflicts. Pakistan was one of just three countries that recognized the Taliban's first government in the 1990s and was accused of covertly supporting their insurgency against NATO forces. But their relationship has soured as attacks in Pakistan's border regions have soared. Last year was the deadliest in Pakistan for a decade with Islamabad accusing Kabul of allowing militants to take refuge in Afghanistan, from where they plan attacks. The Taliban government denies the charge. In the first phase of deportations in 2023, hundreds of thousands of undocumented Afghans were forced across the border in the space of a few weeks. In the second phase announced in March, the Pakistan government canceled the residence permits of more than 800,000 Afghans, warning those in Pakistan awaiting relocation to other countries to leave by the end of April. More than 1.3 million who hold Proof of Registration cards issued by the UN refugee agency have been told to leave Islamabad and the neighboring city of Rawalpindi.
Yahoo
19-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Pakistan foreign minister due in Kabul as deportations rise
Pakistan's foreign minister was due to visit Afghanistan on Saturday after his country expelled more than 85,000 Afghans, mostly children, in just over two weeks. Islamabad has launched a strict campaign to evict by the end of April more than 800,000 Afghans who have had their residence permits cancelled -- including some who were born in Pakistan or lived there for decades. Convoys of Afghan families have been heading to border towns each day fearing the "humiliation" of raids, arrests or being separated from family members. Pakistan's foreign office said its top diplomat Ishaq Dar will hold meetings with senior Afghan Taliban officials, including Prime Minister Hasan Akhund during a day-long visit. "There will not be any sort of leniency and extension in the deadline," Pakistan's deputy interior minister Tallal Chaudhry told a news conference on Friday. "When you arrive without any documents, it only deepens the uncertainty of whether you're involved in narcotics trafficking, supporting terrorism, or committing other crimes," he added. Chaudhry has previously accused Afghans of being "terrorists and criminals", but analysts say it is a politically motivated strategy to put pressure on Afghanistan's Taliban government over escalating security concerns. He said on Friday that nearly 85,000 Afghans have crossed into Afghanistan since the start of April, the majority of them undocumented. The United Nations' refugee agency said on Friday more then half of them were children -- entering a country where girls are banned from secondary school and university and women are barred from many sectors of work. - Second phase of deportations - The United Nations says nearly three million Afghans have taken shelter in Paksitan after fleeing successive conflicts. Pakistan was one of just three countries that recognised the Taliban's first government in the 1990s and was accused of covertly supporting their insurgency against NATO forces. But their relationship has soured as attacks in Pakistan's border regions have soared. Last year was the deadliest in Pakistan for a decade with Islamabad accusing Kabul of allowing militants to take refuge in Afghanistan, from where they plan attacks. The Taliban government denies the charge. In the first phase of deportations in 2023, hundreds of thousands of undocumented Afghans were forced across the border in the space of a few weeks. In the second phase announced in March, the Pakistan government cancelled the residence permits of more than 800,000 Afghans, warning those in Pakistan awaiting relocation to other countries to leave by the end of April. More than 1.3 million who hold Proof of Registration cards issued by the UN refugee agency have been told to leave Islamabad and the neighbouring city of Rawalpindi. zz/ecl/dhw
