Almost 2.7m Afghans have so far been repatriated from Pakistan

Almost 2.7 million Afghans have returned to their country since Pakistan began a nationwide deportation drive against illegal immigrants, most of them Afghan nationals, in late 2023, the Punjab government said on Sunday, as authorities continue operations against undocumented foreign nationals.

So far, 2,689,295 Afghan people have been deported from Pakistan, the Punjab Home Department said in a statement. This includes 140,468 undocumented Afghans from Punjab alone.

The department said all Afghan citizens who did not have valid visas were viewed to be illegally residing in Pakistan under the policy of the federal government.

It said police were inspecting residential areas and markets around the region, detaining undocumented Afghans and sending them to holding centers before deporting them.

The statement further claimed that there were 39 holding centers functional in Punjab where 188 Afghan nationals were present at the moment.

“Temporary accommodation, registration and repatriation of undocumented Afghan nationals have been organised at the holding centers,” it said.

In October 2023, Pakistan unveiled its Illegal Foreigners Repatriation Plan, which mandates that unauthorised foreigners leave the nation or be deported.

The Punjab administration claimed its foreign national security cell was co-ordinating and monitoring actions across the province and invited the public to report undocumented Afghan nationals, identity fraud or suspicious conduct to police.