Pakistan sticks to Afghan refugees’ expulsion deadline, rejects UN concerns

KABUL (Pajhwok): Pakistan has reaffirmed its firm stance on the deadline for Afghan Citizen Card (ACC) holders and undocumented foreigners to leave the country, dismissing concerns raised by United Nations agencies about the repatriation process.

“There is no change in the deadline,” said Foreign Office spokesman Shafqat Ali Khan during a weekly media briefing, Dawn.com reported.

Pakistan set March 31 as the deadline for ACC holders and undocumented foreigners to leave Pakistan voluntarily.

After this date, mass deportations will begin, as per an official warning issued by the Ministry of Interior.

Khan also rejected concerns from the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and other agencies regarding the mass repatriation of Afghan refugees and asylum-seekers.

“We are not obligated to consult the UNHCR. First, Pakistan is not a signatory to the Refugee Convention. Everything we have done for Afghan refugees over the past 50 years has been voluntary. We have fulfilled more than our share of international obligations by offering this kind of hospitality, and we continue to welcome them. However, they must have a Pakistani visa in their passport to be allowed entry,” he said.

Khan remarks came after Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi called for the gradual repatriation of Afghan refugees, not just from Pakistan, but globally.

Pakistan’s Illegal Foreigners Repatriation Programme has been in effect since November 1, 2023.

sa