Minister of State for Interior, Talal Chaudhry, has said that the deadline for the deportation of Afghan citizens and other illegal foreigners is April 30. He made it clear that this deadline will not be extended. He also said that anyone who rents out a shop, house, or any place to an illegal person after today will also be held responsible.
Speaking at a press conference in Islamabad, Talal Chaudhry said that Afghan citizens had been living in Pakistan as guests for the past 40 years and were treated well during that time. However, he added that in today’s world, no one can stay in a country without a visa, passport, or legal identification.
He said that Pakistan had received complaints from friendly countries, including Saudi Arabia, GCC states, and Western nations, about the misuse of Pakistani passports by non-citizens. As a result, thousands of fake passports were seized abroad and reported to Pakistan.
Talal Chaudhry said that Pakistan’s policy now follows a “One Document Regime.” This means that anyone coming to Pakistan for health, education, tourism, or any other reason must have legal documents such as a passport and visa. He said Pakistan welcomes all legal visitors and most visas are now issued online, many within 24 hours.
He said that the second phase of this policy began on April 1. So far, 84,869 Afghan citizens have been sent back to Afghanistan. Among them, 25,320 held Afghan Citizen Cards, while the rest had no documents.
He explained that before returning, these people are kept at transit points, mostly in Punjab, and also in Islamabad, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Sindh, Balochistan, Azad Kashmir, and Gilgit-Baltistan. He said that the transit point in Islamabad is the Hajj Complex, which is not a jail or police station. Facilities like medical services, transport, and security are provided there before sending people to the border.
He added that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is in contact with Afghan authorities to ensure that their citizens can return and resettle in a peaceful way. The Ministry of Interior also held a meeting with an Afghan delegation to discuss related matters. A high-level delegation, led by the Deputy Prime Minister, will soon visit Afghanistan.
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Talal Chaudhry again confirmed that there will be no extension in the April 30 deadline. Anyone giving jobs, shops, houses, or shelter to illegal foreigners will also face action. Only people with valid documents will be allowed to work or live in Pakistan.
He said that in the past two years, Pakistan has issued over 1 million visas to Afghan citizens in 16 categories, including for education, health, tourism, business, and religious purposes. He noted that about 20% of Afghan visa holders request extensions, and most of them are granted.
The Minister said that complaints are regularly reviewed, and both federal and provincial governments have set up helplines to receive and investigate reports. He also said that a recent news report about the death of an Afghan woman was found to be false after investigation, and it caused unnecessary concern.
Finally, he said that a total of 907,391 people have been sent back to Afghanistan so far through both phases of the repatriation process.
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