The Pakistani government has confirmed that it will not extend the March 31 deadline for the expulsion of illegal Afghan nationals. The decision was made during a meeting at the Interior Ministry, where officials emphasized strict enforcement of the policy.
Islamabad had earlier rejected a request from the Afghan government to allow undocumented Afghans to stay longer in the cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi.
Security Concerns Drive Policy
Authorities have linked the deportation policy to national security concerns, citing a rise in terrorist activities that they attribute to groups operating from Afghan territory.
So far, nearly 878,972 illegal Afghan residents have returned to Afghanistan, according to Radio Pakistan. Meanwhile, the Pakistani government has requested data on Afghan students in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa by March 27 to update security records.
Human Rights Concerns
International human rights organization Amnesty International has urged Pakistan to reconsider its decision, warning that the mass expulsion will worsen the hardships faced by Afghan migrants.
Pakistan has been home to Afghan refugees for almost five decades. While 2.1 million Afghans remain in the country legally, there are still hundreds of thousands without proper documentation. Many of them have spent their entire lives in Pakistan and have little to no connection to Afghanistan.
The looming deadline has created anxiety among Afghan families, especially during the holy month of Ramadan. Peshawar, which hosts the largest Afghan refugee population in Pakistan, has thousands of Afghan-run businesses and workers who have lived there for decades.
As the deadline approaches, Afghan families face an uncertain future, while the government remains firm on its decision.