Preparations in final stage for Afghan repatriation

PESHAWAR: Police, district administration and the departments concerned are preparing for the next stage of repatriation of the Afghan refugees who had been asked to voluntarily return to their country before September 1.

“All the departments concerned are making arrangements but no further order has been received regarding the strategy from September 1. So far, police and other departments are mapping the Afghan nationals and asking them with respect to return before the due date,” an official said on Wednesday. He added police had been asked to make arrangements but nothing had been ordered in writing.

“A meeting of all the departments concerned is likely to be held before the end of this month to finalize strategy for the repatriation of hundreds of thousands of Afghan refugees who have been living in Pakistan for over four decades,” said an official.

A large number of Afghan nationals who own businesses in Peshawar and other parts of the country have applied for the Pakistani visas to take care of their businesses, including restaurants, shops and factories.

“Pakistani authorities should expedite the visas of the Afghan nationals as well as relax the conditions so that the Afghans can continue their businesses after getting the valid travel documents,” Afghan traders recently said. In the first week of August, the government decided to repatriate the Afghan nationals.

“The Government of Pakistan has decided to repatriate Afghan nationals who are holding Proof of Registration Cards. It is clarified that all Afghan nationals whose POR cards have expired as of June 30, 2025, are now staying illegally,” stated an order issued by the Department of Home and Tribal Affairs Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Previously, Afghan nationals who had no legal documents or who had Afghan Citizen Cards were directed to return to their country while police and other departments were directed not to bother POR card-holders. “All Afghan nationals without valid documents and Pakistani visas are hereby directed that further stay in Pakistan is no longer considered legal under Pakistani immigration laws. You are expected to return to your country voluntarily and respectfully,” stated the order.

It continued that the Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had made arrangements to carry out this process in an organized and dignified manner at established repatriation points in Peshawar and Landikotal. It maintained that all Afghan nationals were requested to fully cooperate. The United Nations High Commission for Refugees estimated a couple of months back that there were 1.3 million Afghans with POR cards while 800,000 were those who possessed the Afghan Citizen Cards.

The POR card holders were registered with the support of UNHCR in 2006 while ACC card holders were documented in 2017.

Pakistan hosted millions of Afghans for over four decades. Hundreds of thousands of them returned to their country in the last few years but a large number of them are still living in KP and other provinces.