pakistan-repatriates-8-lakh-illegally-residing-afghans

The process of repatriation of illegally residing Afghan nationals in Pakistan continued unabated as more than 800,000 people were repatriated by March 20, an official said.

 

With only 10 days remaining until the March 31 deadline for illegally residing individuals and Afghan citizen Card holders to leave Pakistan, the government March 20 repatriated 874,282 Afghans due to concerns over terrorism, the official added.

 

The official said the government assured no mistreatment would be met during the process.

 

Arrangements for food and healthcare facilities for those returning to Afghanistan have been completed, the official said.

 

The official said strict legal action would be taken after the deadline passes. 

 

Meanwhile, Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi on Thursday called for the gradual repatriation of Afghan refugees from not just Pakistan but the rest of the world.

 

Earlier, Pakistan sent back more than half a million illegal immigrants, the majority of them Afghans, since launching a crackdown against them last year, said officials earlier on Tuesday.

 

The Interior Ministry informed the Senate, the upper house of parliament, that those sent back were about one-third of all unlawful immigrants living in the country.

 

A written reply was submitted to the Senate by the ministry in response to a question by Senator Mohsin Aziz on the number of illegal residents in the country as well as the number of those deported.

 

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The ministry said that around 1.7 million “illegal aliens” are unlawfully living in the country, the majority of whom are Afghans, who are living without any legal documentation necessary for staying in the country.

 

The ties between the countries have severed following back-to-back terror attacks in Pakistan by the Baloch terrorists, who killed 28 people, including security personnel, in a recent train hijacking incident.

 

Pakistan has accused Afghanistan of providing shelter and not acting against the rising threat of cross-border terrorist outfits like BLA and TTP.