ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar-led government on Monday announced its decision to expel 1.1 million immigrants illegally residing in the country.
Due to security concerns, the government will evict illegal “aliens” in the first phase along with those who failed to renew their visas, a local media outlet reported. In the second and third phases, those living in the country with Afghan citizenship and possessing proof of residence cards will be expelled respectively.
The plan for eviction of illegally residing Afghan nationals has also been reportedly approved as this lot is involved in smuggling, funding, and facilitating terrorists whereas 700,000 Afghans have not renewed their proof of residence in Pakistan. The Ministry of Interior has prepared a plan in consultation with the stakeholders and the Afghan regime.
Meanwhile, the ministry has also issued directives to the concerned departments to compile a record of Afghans living without permits and prepare a deportation plan to bring them to the Afghan border.
Apart from checking the records of all the Afghan nationals living in Pakistan, officials concerned were directed to quickly deal with the applications submitted regarding the registration of Afghans.
After the one-month deadline, a big countrywide crackdown would be launched by the law-enforcement agencies to identify and deport illegal immigrants, the vast majority of whom are said to be Afghan nationals.
Immigrants in Pakistan
It is said that around 1.1 million Afghan refugees are living in Pakistan illegally.
As many as 400,000 Afghans entered Pakistan illegally since the Afghan Taliban took over Kabul in August 2021. There are another 700,000 Afghan nationals who have been residing in the country illegally.
