Pakistan on Tuesday postponed a deadline for hundreds of thousands of Afghans to return to their country due to Eid al-Fitr holidays marking the end of Ramadan, a government official told AFP.
In early March, Islamabad announced a deadline of the end of the month for Afghans holding specific documentation to leave the country, ramping up a campaign to send Afghans back to their homeland.
“The deadline has been extended until the beginning of next week due to Eid holidays,” the official said on the condition of anonymity as he was not authorised to speak to the media.
Meanwhile, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi on Wednesday met with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to discuss national security and the ongoing repatriation of Afghan nationals.
According to a statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office, Naqvi briefed the premier on security measures in place during Eidul Fitr and progress on the return of undocumented foreigners and Afghan Citizen Card holders.
PM Shehbaz expressed satisfaction over the peaceful environment during Eid, praising the efforts of law enforcement agencies.
The meeting also included a review of matters related to the Ministry of Interior, with a focus on enforcement actions post-deadline for Afghan repatriation.
Afghans holding Afghan Citizen Cards (ACC) – issued by Pakistan authorities and held by 800,000 people, according to the United Nations – face deportation to Afghanistan after the deadline.
More than 1.3 million Afghans who hold Proof of Registration (PoR) cards from the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, are also to be moved outside the capital, Islamabad, and neighbouring city Rawalpindi.
The UN says nearly three million Afghans live in Pakistan, many having fled there over decades of war in their country and after the return of the Taliban to power in Afghanistan.
“Many have been living in the country for years and going back means going back to nothing,” Pakistani human rights lawyer Moniza Kakar told AFP.
Ties between the neighbouring countries have frayed since the Taliban takeover, with Pakistan accusing Kabul’s rulers of failing to root out militants sheltering on Afghan soil, a charge the Taliban government denies.
A delegation from Islamabad met with officials in Kabul in March, with Pakistan emphasising the importance of security in Afghanistan for the region.
The Taliban government has repeatedly called for the “dignified” return of Afghans to their country, with Prime Minister Hassan Akhund urging countries hosting Afghans not to force them out.
“We ask that instead of forced deportation, Afghans should be supported and provided with facilities,” he said in an Eid message the day before Pakistan’s original deadline.
Following an ultimatum from Islamabad in late 2023 for undocumented Afghans to leave Pakistan, more than 800,000 Afghans returned between September 2023 and the end of 2024, according UN figures.