Pakistan has expelled more than 80,000 Afghan nationals since the end of March as part of a repatriation drive in preparation for the April 30 deadline, a senior official confirmed on Friday.
Afghan nationals without legal documents or those holding Afghan Citizen Cards were warned by Islamabad to leave by March 31, with the deadline later extended to April 30. Talal Chaudhry, an adviser to the interior ministry, emphasized that the April 30 deadline is final, and only those with valid visas will be allowed to remain in Pakistan.
The repatriation drive is part of the Illegal Foreigners Repatriation Plan, which was launched in late 2023.
Pakistan has previously linked militant attacks and criminal activity to Afghan nationals, who make up the largest migrant group in the country. Afghanistan has rejected these claims, labeling the repatriation process as forced deportation.
Chaudhry spoke just one day before Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar is set to lead a high-level delegation for talks in Kabul. The talks will address various aspects of the Pakistan-Afghanistan relationship, including security, trade, connectivity, and people-to-people relations, according to a statement from Pakistan’s foreign office.
Pakistani authorities have established temporary centers in several cities to house Afghan nationals before transporting them to the Torkham border crossing in northwest Pakistan.
