Maarkhoor
Snake Eater
As per records "Guess" by intellectuals total Afghan population in Pakistan is about 4 million.
Undocumented Immigrants Deportation Operation
- Thread starter ghazi52
- Start date
Distant_Observer
Trusted Member
Anymore news on deportations?
StrategicBear
Registered Member
This is the USA's and Taliban's problem, not Pakistan's.
VCheng
THINK TANK: CONSULTANT
However, it is now up to Pakistan to decide what it wants to do with this issue as I mentioned above.
ghazi52
THINK TANK: CONSULTANT
- Thread starter
- #82
The Government of Pakistan has issued instructions to all relevant institutions and law enforcement authorities that Afghan refugees holding Proof of Registration (POR) cards should not be subjected to any form of arrest or harassment until further notice.
This decision has been made in view of humanitarian considerations and international responsibilities.
The instructions state that Afghan citizens who possess POR cards should be considered legal refugees and should not be subjected to any illegal treatment.
It is clarified that POR cards are issued to registered Afghan refugees with the cooperation of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), which serve as legal proof of their temporary presence in Pakistan.
This decision has been made in view of humanitarian considerations and international responsibilities.
The instructions state that Afghan citizens who possess POR cards should be considered legal refugees and should not be subjected to any illegal treatment.
It is clarified that POR cards are issued to registered Afghan refugees with the cooperation of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), which serve as legal proof of their temporary presence in Pakistan.
Distant_Observer
Trusted Member
They are chickening out as per usual. This was a golden opportunity to get rid of them all.
They are not refugees, they are like zionist settlers.
Last edited:
ghazi52
THINK TANK: CONSULTANT
- Thread starter
- #84
Afghan refugees: Action against valid PoR cards holders refrained
Naveed Siddiqui
July 6, 2025
The government has directed all provincial and federal authorities/agencies to refrain from taking any adverse action against registered Afghan refugees holding valid Proof of Registration (PoR) cards, revealed an official document on Saturday.
The directive of the Ministry of States and Frontier Regions (SAFRON) and Kashmir Affairs comes following consultations at the federal level regarding the extension of PoR card validity.
In a circular issued by the Ministry of Kashmir Affairs, Gilgit Baltistan and States and Frontier Regions (SAFRON), addressed to the Ministry of Interior, all Chief Secretaries, Inspectors General of Police, and the Chief Commissioner of Islamabad Capital Territory, the government urged that no harassment or detention of PoR card holders Afghan Refugees should occur until a final decision is made by the authorities concerned.
Authorities are directed to instruct all relevant departments and agencies to act accordingly.
ghazi52
THINK TANK: CONSULTANT
- Thread starter
- #86
Afghan citizens residing in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, take note 
The Government of Pakistan has decided to repatriate all Afghan citizens who are residing in Pakistan with POR documents.
Upon the expiration of these cards on June 30, 2025, these Afghan citizens are now illegally residing in Pakistan.
The Government of Pakistan has decided to repatriate all Afghan citizens who are residing in Pakistan with POR documents.
Upon the expiration of these cards on June 30, 2025, these Afghan citizens are now illegally residing in Pakistan.
ghazi52
THINK TANK: CONSULTANT
- Thread starter
- #87
Pakistan resumes forced deportations of Afghan refugees as deadline expires
Web Desk
August 04, 2025
National
Pakistani authorities have resumed the forced deportation of Afghan refugees after the federal government refused to extend a key deadline for their legal stay, officials confirmed Monday.
The move impacts roughly 1.4 million Afghan nationals holding Proof of Registration (PoR) cards, whose legal status expired at the end of June. Many had hoped for a one-year extension to settle personal affairs, including selling property or concluding business in Pakistan.
In addition to PoR card holders, nearly 800,000 Afghans with Afghan Citizen Cards are also facing deportation. Police in Punjab, Balochistan, and Sindh have been detaining undocumented Afghans in preparation for repatriation.
A July 31 government notification, seen by the Associated Press, confirms that all Afghans with expired PoR cards must leave the country. Those without valid passports or Pakistani visas are now considered illegal under the country’s immigration laws.
Officials said there are no mass arrests, but police are conducting house-to-house and random checks to identify and detain those without legal documents. Two officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed that deportations were underway across multiple provinces.
“Yes, Afghan refugees living illegally in Pakistan are being sent back in a dignified way,” said Shakeel Khan, commissioner for Afghan refugees in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. He described the current operation as the most comprehensive repatriation effort ordered by the federal government.
Rehmat Ullah, a 35-year-old Afghan born in Peshawar, expressed distress over the decision. “I have five children and my concern is that they will miss their education. I was born here, my children were born here — and now we are going back,” he said.
Millions of Afghans have fled to Pakistan over the past four decades, escaping war, conflict, and economic instability. The latest deportation drive follows a 2023 nationwide crackdown on foreigners living in Pakistan without valid documentation.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) strongly criticized the move. Spokesperson Qaiser Khan Afridi warned that the current repatriation campaign could lead to refoulement, violating international law.
“Sending people back in this manner is tantamount to refoulement and a breach of international obligations,” Afridi said. He urged the Pakistani government to pause the forcible returns and instead ensure a voluntary, gradual, and dignified repatriation process.
Afridi also acknowledged Pakistan’s role in hosting millions of Afghan refugees for more than 40 years but cautioned that abrupt returns could jeopardize the safety of refugees and threaten regional stability.
The Interior Ministry, which oversees the deportation campaign, has yet to issue a public statement.
ghazi52
THINK TANK: CONSULTANT
- Thread starter
- #88
Afghan card holders to be deported from Sept 1
Ministry has initiated voluntary repatriation of Afghan PoR card holders, with deportations starting next month
Web Desk
August 05, 2025
Police officers, along with workers from the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA), check the identity cards of Afghan citizens during a door-to-door search and verification drive for undocumented Afghan nationals, in an Afghan Camp on the outskirts of Karachi, ..Reuters
The interior ministry has initiated a process for the voluntary repatriation of Afghan nationals holding Proof of Registration (PoR) cards, setting September 1 as the starting date for formal deportations, Radio Pakistan reported.
The decision was taken during a high-level meeting on Tuesday held under the ongoing Illegal Foreigners Repatriation Plan (IFRP), citing security concerns and the increasing strain on national resources.
A notification from the ministry confirmed that registered PoR card holders—whose documents expired on June 30, 2025—will officially be repatriated from next month.
The home ministry had previously allowed PoR holders to remain in Pakistan until June 30 as part of an earlier extension, but since then over 1.3 million people have been returned home.
More than 800,000 Afghans hold an Afghan Citizen Card in Pakistan, according to UN data. Another roughly 1.3 million are formally registered with the Pakistan government and hold a separate Proof of Residence card.
In total, Pakistan hosted around 2.8 million Afghan refugees who crossed the border during 40 years of conflict in their homeland.
Meanwhile, figures from UN agencies show roughly 1.3 million refugees remain, mostly in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.
Pakistan launched the IFRP in November 2023, initially targeting undocumented immigrants and Afghan Citizen Card holders. Since then, about 1.3 million Afghans have been repatriated, but approximately 1.6 million remain in the country—many hoping for a policy change.
Afghan refugees have responded with alarm: many own assets or businesses built over decades and fear forced sales at minimal prices should extensions not be granted.
Despite legal challenges, including a recent request rejected by the Islamabad High Court for a stay on repatriation of PoR holders, the government has maintained its stance. The court had affirmed the June 30 deadline as per policy.
In an effort to ease the pressure, Minister of State Talal Chaudhry hinted at a forthcoming visa policy for foreign nationals, which would provide investment incentives—an opportunity Afghan residents may be eligible for should they choose to remain.
International entities, including the UNHCR, IOM, and Amnesty International, have expressed serious concern over the scale and humanitarian impact of the expedited repatriation campaign. Critics warn that forced returns could violate the principle of non-refoulement, imperil vulnerable populations, and destabilise regional security.
ghazi52
THINK TANK: CONSULTANT
- Thread starter
- #89
Major decision by the Ministry of Interior regarding the repatriation of Proof of Registration cardholders and foreigners
The Ministry of Interior has issued a notification regarding the repatriation of Afghan citizens holding PoR cards
According to the Ministry of Interior’s notification:
"The process of voluntary repatriation of PoR cardholders will commence immediately"
The repatriation process for the remaining PoR cardholder Afghan citizens will begin on September 1
The Ministry of Interior has issued a notification regarding the repatriation of Afghan citizens holding PoR cards
According to the Ministry of Interior’s notification:
"The process of voluntary repatriation of PoR cardholders will commence immediately"
The repatriation process for the remaining PoR cardholder Afghan citizens will begin on September 1
ghazi52
THINK TANK: CONSULTANT
- Thread starter
- #90
Pakistan starts deporting registered Afghan refugees: UNHCR
Reuters
August 6, 2025
Pakistan has started to deport documented Afghan refugees ahead of its deadline for them to leave, according to the United Nations, in a move that could see more than 1 million Afghans expelled from the country.
The country’s decision follows the interior ministry’s announcement on July 31 that Proof of Registration (PoR) cardholders — the last category of Afghans legally residing in Pakistan without visas — became unlawful residents after their cards expired on June 30.
However, the federal government has informed the provinces that the formal repatriation and deportation of over 1.3 million Afghan refugees holding PoR cards will begin on September 1.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said that it had received reports of arrests and expulsions of legally registered Afghans across the country before Pakistan’s September 1 deadline for them to leave.
The UNHCR said that sending the Afghans back in this way was a breach of Pakistan’s international obligations.
“UNHCR is calling on the government to stop the forcible return and adopt a humane approach to ensure voluntary, gradual, and dignified return of Afghans,” it said in a statement.
The voluntary return of the documented refugees shall commence forthwith, said a Pakistan’s interior ministry order seen by Reuters. It said the formal deportation process will start after the deadline.
But Qaisar Khan Afridi, a spokesman for the UNHCR, told Reuters on Wednesday that hundreds of legally registered Afghan refugees had already been detained and deported to Afghanistan from August 1 to August 4.
The interior ministry did not respond to a Reuters request for a comment.
More than 1.3 million Afghans hold documentation known as PoR cards, while 750,000 more have another form of registration known as an Afghan Citizen Card.
Many Afghans have been settled in Pakistan since the 1980s, to escape cycles of war in Afghanistan.
“Such massive and hasty return could jeopardise the lives and freedom of Afghan refugees, while also risking instability not only in Afghanistan but across the region,” UNHCR said.
Pakistani authorities have said that Islamabad wants all Afghan nationals to leave, except for those who have valid visas.
The repatriation drive by Pakistan 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 repatriations as forced deportation.
In addition to the repatriation from Pakistan, Afghanistan also faces a fresh wave of mass deportations from Iran.
Aid groups worry that the influx risks further destabilising the country.
