
By Pkazharata - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0,
The government of Pakistan has formulated a strategy to relocate registered Afghan refugees from Islamabad and Rawalpindi, with the intention of gradually facilitating their return to Afghanistan. According to report, authorities have been instructed to carry out this plan discreetly, without any public announcements. The strategy was finalized during a series of meetings led by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in the previous week, which included participation from Chief of Army Staff Gen Syed Asim Munir, as confirmed by a source within the prime minister’s office. In the initial phase of the relocation initiative, Afghan nationals possessing the Afghan Citizens Card (ACC) will be promptly relocated from Islamabad and Rawalpindi.
They will subsequently be returned to Afghanistan along with illegal and undocumented refugees. The Afghan Citizen Card (ACC) is an identification document provided to registered Afghan nationals by Nadra. As per the United Nations’ International Organisation for Migration (IOM), the ACC grants temporary legal status to Afghans while they are in Pakistan. Nevertheless, the federal government determines the validity period of the ACC.
Afghan nationals possessing a Proof of Registration Card (PoR), which permits them to reside legally anywhere in Pakistan, will be repatriated in the second phase of the initiative. They will be relocated from Islamabad and Rawalpindi, although immediate deportation is not anticipated, according to sources, who noted that the cabinet has permitted PoR-holding Afghans to remain in the country until June.
The estimated population of Afghans residing in Pakistan with Proof of Registration (PoR) and Afghan Citizen Cards (ACC) stands at approximately 1.3 million and 700,000, respectively. Additionally, Afghans who are pending resettlement in third countries are scheduled to be relocated from Islamabad and Rawalpindi by March 31.
Sources indicate that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will collaborate with embassies and various international organizations to facilitate the resettlement process. Those Afghans who are unable to secure resettlement in a third country will be returned to Afghanistan. As stated by Shawn VanDiver, the founder of #AfghanEvac, a prominent coalition of resettlement and veterans groups, between 10,000 and 15,000 individuals are currently in Pakistan awaiting visas or resettlement in the United States.
The exact number of Afghans residing in Islamabad and Rawalpindi remains uncertain. Nevertheless, the decision to relocate them from these twin cities is anticipated to pose significant logistical difficulties for the refugees, many of whom need to access foreign missions and offices of international humanitarian organizations located in Islamabad. Additionally, numerous Afghan nationals awaiting resettlement to a third country are currently enrolled in language programs in the federal capital.
The Ministry of Interior will oversee the plans for relocation and deportation, with intelligence agencies, including the Intelligence Bureau (IB) and the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), tasked with monitoring their execution. In 2023, Pakistan initiated a nationwide campaign to deport millions of Afghans, whom the government claimed were residing illegally in the country. According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), 805,991 Afghans have returned to their homeland since September 15, 2023.
Human rights advocates and members of civil society have condemned the forced repatriation and have submitted a petition to the Supreme Court. This petition was last reviewed by a seven-judge panel led by Justice Amin-ud-din Khan on January 7. During this session, the federal government assured the court that all registered Afghan refugees, including those holding Proof of Registration (PoR) or Afghan Citizen Cards (ACC), would receive full legal protection and would not be subject to arrest or deportation. However, a report released last month by the IOM indicated that hundreds of Afghan nationals were apprehended and detained in Islamabad during the final two weeks of December.