Pakistan’a Caretaker Interior Minister Sarfraz Bugti has announced a November 1 deadline for illegal immigrants in the country to leave Pakistan, otherwise, all law enforcement agencies would be forced to deport them.
The interior minister announced the decision following a meeting of the apex committee on the National Action Plan at the Prime Minister’s House on October 3. The army chief, federal ministers, provincial chief ministers and heads of all civil and military agencies attended the meeting.
“The most important thing that was decided was the welfare and security of Pakistani citizens. The first decision taken is about our illegal immigrants who are living in Pakistan through illegal means. We have given them a deadline of Nov 1 to willingly return to their countries and if they don’t, all law enforcement agencies (LEAs) of the state and provinces will deport them,” the minister said.
Pakistan to deport over 1 million illegal immigrants
Pakistan’s caretaker government has decided to deport around 1.1 million foreigners residing illegally in the country, due to their alleged involvement in funding and facilitating terrorist activities and other illicit operations.
“In the first phase, illegal residents, in the second phase, those with Afghan citizenship and in the third phase, those with proof of residence cards will be expelled,” Associated Press of Pakistan reported.
Citing an anonymous source close to the government’s plans, the report underscored that foreigners illegally residing in the country “pose a serious threat to the security of Pakistan”.
Furthermore, the plan includes the expulsion of Afghan citizens who are implicated in funding, facilitating, and smuggling terrorists, with a particular focus on the 700,000 Afghans who failed to renew their proof of residence cards in Pakistan.
The report disclosed the interior ministry’s extensive consultation with relevant stakeholders and the Afghan government in formulating this comprehensive strategy.
“In the meantime, the ministry has also issued directives to the concerned to compile a record of Afghans living without permits and prepare a transportation plan to bring them to the Afghan border.
This move followed a series of actions taken against Afghan refugees, marking an escalation in the government’s crackdown throughout September.
Official statistics reveal a significant surge in the arrest and detention of Afghan refugees, attributed to concerns about illegal immigration and rising crime rates.
Registration details of the refugees
As per the latest United Nations figures, approximately 1.3 million Afghans are registered refugees in Pakistan, while an additional 880,000 hold legal status to remain in the country. Nevertheless, the recent round-up is explicitly aimed at individuals lacking legal status and is attributed to mounting crime rates and inadequate immigration regulation, which strain local resources.
Karachi, in particular, witnessed a substantial increase in arrests, with at least 700 Afghans detained since early September, a tenfold rise compared to the previous month. Furthermore, hundreds more have been apprehended in other Pakistani cities, according to official police data.
Meanwhile, Afghan residents have voiced concerns over indiscriminate arrests, accusing the police of extortion and disregarding their legal documents. These events transpired against the backdrop of rising anti-Afghan sentiment fueled by prolonged economic hardships in Pakistani households and escalating tensions between Islamabad and the new Taliban-led government in Kabul.