Pakistan’s Strategic Deportation Initiative Targets All Undocumented Immigrants

Pakistan to Deport 1.7 Million Afghans in Phased Manner, Says Foreign Ministry

Pakistan’s foreign ministry announced on Friday that the country will deport all illegal immigrants, including 1.7 million Afghans, in a “phased and orderly manner.” The statement aims to address international concerns and ease fears among Afghan refugees in Pakistan. Earlier this week, Islamabad’s unexpected announcement of mass arrests and forced deportation for migrants without valid documentation caused panic among undocumented residents and drew widespread condemnation from rights groups. (Source: AP)

Activists have voiced serious concerns about the risks faced by Afghan immigrants in the event of forced deportation. Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson, Mumtaz Zahra Baloch, emphasized on Friday that the new policy does not target Afghans exclusively. Baloch stated, “We have been generously hosting Afghan refugees for the past four decades,” referring to the millions who fled Afghanistan during the Soviet occupation from 1979 to 1989. She reassured the 1.4 million Afghan nationals registered as refugees in Pakistan that they need not worry and added that the policy applies to all individuals living in the country unlawfully, regardless of their nationality.

Baloch explained, “Pakistan’s laws are in line with those of many other countries.” Officials also revealed plans to offer rewards to individuals who provide information about the whereabouts of illegal immigrants, starting in November. Amnesty International has called on Pakistan to allow Afghans to continue living in the country, while UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’ spokesman expressed concerns over the new policy, stating that “it is critical that no refugees be sent back without it being a voluntary and dignified return.”

Although Pakistani security forces and police have routinely been apprehending and deporting Afghans without valid documents in recent years, this marks the first time that the government has announced plans for such a large-scale crackdown. (Read more Pakistan stories.)