Pakistan government will encourage voluntary repatriation of foreign nationals till November 1, following which the state will commence expulsion of aliens in phases, said Caretaker Interior Minister Sarfraz Bugti on Monday. “After November 1, the state will commence its operation to expel aliens in phases,” he said. In an interview, Bugti confirmed that over 20,000 illegal foreigners have left Pakistan voluntarily over the last three days. He stated that all provincial governments would play an active part in the operation against illegal foreigners. “Committees have been formed on divisional and district levels,” he added. The interim interior minister further clarified that the expulsion of illegal foreign nationals will be carried out in phases and people with no travel documents will be deported in the first phase. “The government has completed the geo-mapping and will locate illegal foreign nationals wherever they are,” he said, adding that they have established holding centres to keep illegal foreigners after the deadline. “All basic facilities will be provided at these centres to illegal foreign nationals,” he assured in a question inquiring about their safety. About the upcoming elections, Bugti said it is responsibility of caretaker government to assist the Election Commission of Pakistan in holding general elections. He said whatever the ECP’s directions are, we will abide by it. ‘Expulsion in line with international law’ As the looming deadline set by the Pakistani government for the departure of illegal immigrants approaches, the Foreign Office (FO) also issued a statement on Monday stating that expelling aliens is “in line with the country’s domestic laws and with relevant international norms and principles”. The statement came after a call out from the Office of the United Nations High Commission for Human Rights (OHCHR), urging Pakistan to halt the forcible return of Afghan nationals. OHCHR also warned the country against the possibility of a human rights catastrophe if these deportations proceed.