Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif was briefed by Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi about the ongoing deportation of Afghan migrants, which has drawn mounting criticism from rights groups.
After end of the March 31 deadline, Pakistani authorities have ousted at least 90 immigrants, starting the deportations from the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, according to official sources and local media reports.
Sharif expressed satisfaction with law and order, particularly during the Eid celebrations, the report said.
The meeting comes as Pakistan intensifies its expulsion of Afghan nationals, particularly those holding Afghan Citizen Cards (ACCs), following the March 31 deadline for their voluntary departure.
The deportations began in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province and are expected to expand nationwide, targeting the approximately 800,000 ACC holders still residing in Pakistan. The government has signaled that this latest phase will continue in stages despite international outcry.
In a separate development, Abdul Jabbar Takhari, the Taliban’s consul general in Karachi, met with the chief of Sindh police and raised concerns that local authorities were harassing Afghan migrants with legal documentation under the pretext of targeting undocumented individuals.
“Even during Eid, police were detaining and deporting Afghans,” said Raheel Talash, an Afghan refugee in Pakistan. “This is not just unethical — it’s a clear violation of human rights and Pakistan’s international obligations.”
Pakistan began deporting undocumented Afghan migrants in early 2024, later expanding the campaign to include ACC holders. The process paused briefly during the Eid holidays but resumed shortly after.
According to official estimates, nearly 3 million Afghans live in Pakistan. About 1.3 million hold Proof of Registration (PoR) cards issued by the government, around 800,000 possess ACCs, and an estimated 1 million lack any formal documentation.
Despite repeated calls from the United Nations and human rights organizations to halt forced returns, Islamabad has maintained that the deportation policy is final. Local journalist and analyst Tahir Khan noted that some Afghans have been deported even while holding ACCs, due to missing supplemental documents.
Rights groups have warned that many returnees face serious risks under Taliban rule and that Pakistan’s deportation campaign violates international norms and refugee protections.
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