Islamabad: Pakistan has firmly rejected a request by the Afghan Taliban to extend the deadline for the deportation of Afghan refugees, stating unequivocally that it will proceed with its plan to expel all illegal Afghan nationals and Afghan Citizen Card (ACC) holders from 1 April.
In a significant policy decision announced on 7 March, the Pakistani government declared that all Afghan nationals holding Afghan Citizen Cards (ACC) must leave the country or face deportation, as they will be considered illegal after 31 March.
“The Illegal Foreigners Repatriation Programme (IFRP) has been in effect since 1 November 2023. In continuation of the government’s decision to repatriate all illegal foreigners, the national leadership has now decided to also repatriate ACC holders,” stated Pakistan’s Ministry of Interior.
“All illegal foreigners and ACC holders are advised to leave the country voluntarily before 31 March 2025. Thereafter, deportation will commence from 1 April 2025,” the statement added.
The decision places the fate of over 800,000 ACC-holding Afghan nationals in jeopardy, as Islamabad has dismissed all requests from the Afghan Taliban in Kabul to delay the process.
Reports suggest that Pakistan has formally notified the Afghan Taliban that its decision is final, with no room for extension. Relevant authorities and all provincial administrations have already been instructed to make necessary arrangements for the return of Afghan refugees.
Since the launch of the repatriation campaign in November 2023, Pakistan has already deported over 800,000 Afghan nationals who were residing in the country illegally. At that time, Islamabad estimated that around 1.7 million illegal migrants—most of them Afghans—were present in the country.
Following this, a crackdown was initiated against Afghan nationals who refused to return to their homeland. The Afghan Taliban has criticised Pakistan’s decision, urging a policy review. However, Pakistan remains resolute in continuing its repatriation campaign.
In the initial phase, only Afghans without any legal status were targeted for deportation. Now, Islamabad has confirmed that all Afghan nationals, including ACC holders, will be expelled.
According to official estimates, at least three million Afghan nationals currently reside in Pakistan. While Islamabad insists that deportation is necessary due to their illegal status, it has also repeatedly accused Afghanistan of harbouring anti-Pakistan terrorist groups, such as Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), which it claims are responsible for destabilising the country.
Recent terrorist attacks on Pakistani security forces have been linked to Afghanistan. Preliminary investigations suggest that Afghan nationals were involved in the recent attack on the Bannu cantonment area in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
Since 21 February, the Torkham border has remained closed due to clashes between the Afghan Taliban and Pakistani forces over a disputed check post that Afghan authorities attempted to construct.
“The Afghan Taliban deliberately initiated the dispute to create a pretext for shutting down the Torkham border, as it is a key route for the deportation and repatriation of Afghan nationals,” a government source claimed.
