Registered Afghan refugees must return by June 30 or face deportation: Talal

ISLAMABAD: Minister of State on Interior Talal Chaudhry has confirmed that Pakistan has set June 30 deadline for registered Afghan nationals, including Proof of Registration (PoR) holders, to voluntarily return to Afghanistan.

After this, he stated that formal deportation procedures will begin. “Afghan refugees were and remain our guests. They are being sent back with full dignity and respect,” he told Geo News.

He expressed these views during an exclusive conversation with Geo News along with UNHCR spokesperson Qaisar Khan Afridi. Both addressed the growing concerns surrounding Afghan refugees in Pakistan, issuing clarifications on the government’s repatriation policy and humanitarian considerations involved.

Talal Chaudhry added that this is part of Pakistan’s One Document Policy, under which 857,157 undocumented individuals — most of them Afghans — have already been repatriated since the policy’s enforcement. Those wishing to return to Pakistan in the future must obtain visas, as per international norms.

The second phase of repatriation ended on March 31, covering Afghan Citizen Card holders. The current focus is on PoR holders, who will have to return to Afghanistan till the end of June.

Meanwhile, UNHCR’s Qaisar Khan Afridi stressed — also in conversation with Geo News — that deportations must be voluntary, not forced.

“Among these refugees are former Afghan government officials, civil society activists, musicians, and educated professionals.

Forcing them back would mean putting their lives at serious risk,” he said. Afridi also highlighted that the UNHCR has received complaints of arrests in parts of Punjab, even involving some documented Afghan refugees.

However, Chaudhry categorically denied such incidents, stating that no such case has been officially reported and that

previous allegations turned out to be fake news upon verification.

He clarified that Afghan refugees who fail to leave within the stated deadlines are not immediately deported, but are first notified, then taken to refugee holding centers where they are provided food, shelter, security, medical aid and travel facility.