Afghan refugees face deportation after deadline for voluntary return ends

The repatriation process for the millions of Afghan refugees residing in Pakistan has begun after the deadline for voluntary return expired on March 31. There are approximately 2.1 million Afghan refugees in Pakistan, with more than half of them living in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

The Afghan refugees, the Taliban government, and international organizations have urged Pakistan to reconsider its deadline for expelling refugees, emphasising the need for a more gradual and thoughtful process, rather than rushing it.

In the previous repatriation process, 878,972 Afghan refugees voluntarily returned to their country. The current escalation in repatriation by the Pakistani government comes after a sudden rise in terrorist attacks by extremist groups operating from Afghanistan.

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To enhance its security situation and combat the growing terrorism originating from the neighboring country, Pakistani authorities have decided to expedite the resolution of the refugee issue, with many refugees residing in the country without legal documentation.

The federal government has also instructed the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government to update the information on Afghan students in the Foreign National Security Cell's dashboard, which monitors foreign nationals in the country.

Also check: Govt orders Afghan citizen card holders to leave Pakistan by March 31

The repatriation process has become a significant concern and dilemma for Afghan refugees, many of whom have been living in Pakistan since the civil war broke out in Afghanistan in the 1980s.

A significant number of refugees were born in Pakistan and have never visited their home country. Now, their return to Afghanistan poses a major challenge, as they have received their education in Pakistan and built livelihoods here.

Peshawar hosts the largest number of Afghan refugees, with many of them running businesses in the city.