According to Pakistani media reports, the country’s Interior Minister stated that after June 30, the official process of deporting Afghan refugees will resume.
Pakistan has set a deadline until the end of June for the voluntary return of Afghan refugees holding Proof of Registration (PoR) cards.
According to Pakistani media reports, the country’s Interior Minister stated that after June 30, the official process of deporting Afghan refugees will resume.
Interior Minister Talal Chaudhry: “Afghan refugees were and remain our guests. They are being sent back with full dignity and respect. This is part of Pakistan’s One Document Policy, under which 857,157 undocumented individuals — most of them Afghans — have already been repatriated since the policy’s enforcement.”
Mohammad Khan Mohammadzai, migrant rights activist: “This country is obligated under international law to provide services to these refugees and to fulfill its social responsibilities by facilitating their lives.”
In reaction to this decision, some Afghan refugees holding PoR cards have stated that they need more time to prepare for voluntary repatriation to Afghanistan.
Lal Rahman, Afghan refugee in Pakistan: “We have been living here for fifty to sixty years. Our problems must be addressed, and time should be given so Afghan refugees can gather their belongings, work, and lives to return to their homeland with preparation.”
Malik Mujahid Shinwari, another Afghan refugee in Pakistan: “There are 1.4 million refugees with PoR cards, some of whom have lived here for up to 46 years. During this time, they have established their livelihoods, and it is natural that they cannot relocate everything within a month or two.”
Meanwhile, the UNHCR has reported that nearly 120,000 Afghan refugees returned from Pakistan to Afghanistan in April alone.
Arafat Jamal, UNHCR representative in Afghanistan: “Some returnee Afghans have never set foot in their homeland. It is a country that continues to struggle after forty years of conflicts. Half the population here relies on humanitarian aid to meet basic needs.”
Meanwhile, the deportation of Afghan refugees holding ACC cards began on April 1. The World Health Organization also announced that in less than two weeks, over 130,000 Afghan refugees have returned from Pakistan and Iran to Afghanistan.