ISLAMABAD, Feb 4: The Government of Pakistan has developed a strategy to relocate registered Afghan refugees from Islamabad and Rawalpindi, aiming for a gradual repatriation to their homeland.
Officials have been instructed to carry out this strategy discreetly, without any public announcements, as reported by Dawn newspaper citing sources.
The details of the plan were established during a series of meetings directed by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif last week.
A source from the prime minister’s office confirmed that Chief of Army Staff Gen Syed Asim Munir also participated in one of these meetings.
In phase I of the relocation initiative, Afghan citizens holding the Afghan Citizens Card (ACC) will be “promptly” moved from Islamabad and Rawalpindi.
These individuals will subsequently be sent back to Afghanistan alongside undocumented and illegal refugees.
The ACC is an identification document provided by Nadra to registered Afghan nationals.
As stated by the UN’s International Organisation for Migration (IOM), the ACC grants temporary legal status to Afghans residing in Pakistan.
However, it is the federal government that determines the validity period of the ACC.
In the second phase of the plan, Afghan nationals with a Proof of Registration Card (PoR), which legally permits them to reside anywhere in Pakistan, will be repatriated.
While they will be “relocated” from Islamabad and Rawalpindi, they will not face immediate deportation, according to sources. The cabinet has permitted Por-holding Afghans to remain until June.
Currently, the Afghan population in Pakistan includes approximately 1.3 million individuals with PoR and 700,000 with ACC.
Additionally, Afghans anticipating resettlement in other countries are scheduled to be relocated from Islamabad and Rawalpindi by March 31.
As per sources, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will collaborate with embassies and international organizations to accelerate the resettlement process.
Any Afghan nationals who are unable to secure resettlement in another country will also be returned to Afghanistan.
Shawn VanDiver, the founder of #AfghanEvac, a prominent coalition of resettlement and veteran groups, stated that between 10,000 to 15,000 Afghans are in Pakistan awaiting visas or resettlement in the US.
The exact number of these individuals in Islamabad and Rawalpindi remains unclear. However, the decision to relocate them from the twin cities poses numerous logistical challenges for refugees, many of whom need to visit foreign missions and offices of humanitarian organizations located in Islamabad.
Several Afghan nationals seeking resettlement to a third country are also attending language classes in the federal capital.
The Ministry of Interior is set to oversee the relocation and deportation efforts, while intelligence agencies, including IB and ISI, will ensure the plans are executed properly.
Pakistan initiated a nationwide campaign in 2023 aimed at deporting millions of Afghans, which the government claims are residing illegally in the country. According to IOM, since September 15, 2023, approximately 805,991 Afghans have returned to their homeland.
Human rights advocates and members of civil society have condemned the forced repatriation and submitted a petition to the Supreme Court.
The Supreme Court last heard the petition on January 7, with a seven-judge bench led by Justice Amin-ud-din Khan. During the proceedings, the federal government assured the court that all registered Afghan refugees, whether holding PoRs or ACC, would be granted full legal protection and not face apprehension or deportation.
However, a report published last month by the IOM indicated that hundreds of Afghan nationals were arrested and detained in Islamabad during the last two weeks of December, as reported by Dawn. (PTI)
