The Punjab provincial ministry of interior in Pakistan says that since the end of 2023, nearly 2.7 million Afghan nationals have returned to or been deported to Afghanistan from Pakistan.
According to a statement issued by the Punjab Ministry of Interior, a total of 2,689,295 Afghans have been deported from Pakistan, including 140,468 undocumented Afghan nationals deported from Punjab province alone.
The ministry said that, under the policy of Pakistan’s federal government, the stay of Afghan nationals who do not hold valid visas is considered illegal. Authorities say that during inspections of residential areas and markets across Punjab, undocumented Afghans are detained and transferred to detention centres.
The statement further said that 39 detention centres are currently operational in Punjab, where approximately 188 Afghan nationals are being held.
In October 2023, Pakistan announced its “Plan for the Repatriation of Illegal Foreigners” and called on undocumented foreign nationals to leave the country or face deportation. Since the implementation of the plan, Afghans have constituted the majority of those returned to their countries of origin.
Writer:Saeed Sameer
