Daily Times

The Federal Interior Ministry has asked Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) authorities to provide records of Afghan students enrolled in the province as part of an update to its foreign nationals’ database.

The ministry’s security cell sent an official letter to the provincial home secretary, instructing that details of Afghan students be submitted by March 27.

The move comes as Pakistan nears the final phase of its crackdown on undocumented foreigners, including Afghan Citizen Card (ACC) holders.

The government has ordered all illegal Afghan residents to leave by March 31.

Authorities say over 876,000 Afghans have already left Pakistan since the repatriation drive began, with thousands more expected to leave in the coming days.

The government has assured that deportations will be carried out humanely.

To facilitate the process, officials have arranged food and medical assistance for those returning. However, authorities warn that strict legal action will be taken against those who stay beyond the deadline.

Earlier, the K-P governmetn had decided to abide by the federal government decision on the repatriation of Afghan refugees.

However, it has been made clear that refugees would not be forcibly expatriated from K-P but would be given the opportunity to return to their homeland voluntarily.

For this, they will also be provided with the necessary facilities.

The central government has given a deadline of March 31, 2025 to all Afghan refugees who are illegal or have proof-of-registration cards to leave Pakistan and return to Afghanistan.