Pakistan to begin kicking out illegal immigrants from November 1
Pakistan has declared that it will start deporting undocumented immigrants, including 1.7 million Afghans, in phases from Wednesday (November 1), reported PTI. Acting Interior Minister Sarfraz Bugti said on Monday that the Pakistani government will initiate deportation if illegal immigrants don't leave the country voluntarily. He added that around 20,000 undocumented immigrants left the country voluntarily in the last three days.
Any 'illegal' immigrant found after deadline to be arrested
Bugti also mentioned that all provincial governments will actively engage in the operation to expel such foreigners, with committees established at divisional and district levels. He revealed that geo-mapping has been finished, too, and the government has complete data on all illegal foreign nationals across the country, DW reported. Bugti said the deadline won't be extended, and any foreigner found in the country "illegally" after next Wednesday would be detained.
Deportation centers set up
Pakistan's government is setting up deportation centers, of which three will be across Balochistan and one in Quetta, the provincial capital. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province will have three centers. The government earlier said 1.4 million registered Afghan refugees need not worry about the operation. The centers have reportedly been arranged to house unauthorized foreigners after the deadline, ensuring that basic facilities are provided for their well-being.
Widespread criticism of deadline for illegal immigrants
Pakistan's Tuesday (October 31) deadline assigned to illegal immigrants, particularly Afghans, to leave the country has been met with widespread disapproval. The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) implored Pakistan to "suspend forcible returns of Afghan nationals before it is too late to avoid a human rights catastrophe." However, Foreign Office spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch clarified the repatriation plan pertains to "all illegal foreigners residing in Pakistan, irrespective of their nationality and country of origin."
Government highlights Pakistan's record of hosting Afghan refugees for decades
Baloch said the decision is within Pakistan's sovereign domestic laws and compliant with international norms, too. She highlighted Pakistan's 40-year history of hosting Afghan refugees and urged the international community to tackle protracted refugee situations and work toward long-lasting solutions. Pakistan has been hosting Afghan refugees since 1979, when the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan to support the Afghan communist government stuck in a conflict with Muslim guerrillas. Soviets left Afghanistan in 1989, while the Afghan Civil War lasted until 1992.
Afghan refugees surged after withdrawal of US troops
The number of Afghan refugees in Pakistan reportedly swelled further as the Taliban came to power in Afghanistan after the United States withdrew its troops from the country in 2021, after 20 years of conflict. Although Pakistan has denied targeting Afghanis, it has also reportedly said in separate statements that the decision was taken as they were involved in crime, smuggling, and attacks against the government and army, which includes 14 of 24 suicide bombings this year.
