KP won’t forcibly expel Afghan refugees: Gandapur

ISLAMABAD: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur on Friday announced that no Afghan refugee would be deported forcefully from the northwestern region of the country, reports Geo News.

Addressing a press conference in the federal capital, the KP CM said: “No Afghan refugee will be expelled by force from KP. We are against such kind of forcible deportation of Afghan refugees.”

His remarks came at a time when the federal government has started the process of repatriating undocumented refugees and Afghan Citizen Card (ACCs) holders, as the deadline for their voluntary return ended on March 31, 2025. During his interaction with reporters, CM Gandapur said: “We have cultural and historical traditions regarding Afghan refugees,” adding that those refugees who wish to leave voluntarily would be provided with resources to facilitate their return with respect. Responding to a question, the chief minister said that the only way forward with Afghanistan is through negotiations. Raising questions over the intentions of the Centre, the KP CM said that they were still waiting for the for the federal government to approve the terms of reference (TOR) to initiate talks with the interim Afghanistan government led by the Afghan Taliban. CM Gandapur said that stability in the region was linked with peace in Afghanistan. He said that PTI had the solution to the menace of terrorism being faced by the country. He also warned the federal government of march on Islamabad if the NFC Award was not implemented this month, saying he would lead the people, police and government officials of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to the capital. Responding to the incumbent government’s allegations about the resettlement of terrorists and the resurgence of militancy in the country, the CM termed the statements from the treasury benches “extremely irresponsible”.

“We have a solution to terrorism in the country. Terrorism had ended during our government and then it was toppled. We have reservations about the way the PTI government was removed. General (retd) Qamar Javed Bajwa toppled our government, after which all the attention was focused on cracking down on the PTI,” he added.