5,236 Afghan nationals repatriated through Torkham border crossing from Pakistan

Islamabad: According to immigration officials cited by Geo News, up to 5,236 Afghan nationals were returned from Pakistan on Thursday via the Torkham border crossing.

According to authorities, 3,865 Afghan people voluntarily arrived in the Landi Kotal transit camp out of those returned. Furthermore, 107 Afghan nationals who had been arrested in Punjab were deported to Torkham.
Authorities also reported the deportation of 295 Afghan nationals from Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir. Afghan Citizen Card holders are also being returned to Afghanistan as part of the continuing effort in Pakistan. Talal Chaudhry, Pakistan’s Minister of State for Interior, said on Thursday that the repatriation of Afghan people was being carried out in a civilised manner.

During a news conference in Islamabad, Chaudhry said that a hotline had been established for the Afghan people and that transit sites were being established in every province of Pakistan to assist Afghan residents, according to Geo News.

He said that there will be no extension of the March deadline for the return of foreign nationals who are unlawful, even those who possess Afghan Citizen Cards. According to him, 857,157 Afghan Citizen Card holders and unlawful foreign nationals have been returned to their home countries so far.

Notably, they had been granted till March 31 by the Pakistani authorities to depart the nation. The deadline has passed and won’t be extended, Chaudhry said.

The minister said, “One-document regime will be fully implemented, requiring valid visas and passports to enter Pakistan.” According to him, if Afghan citizens who are being returned hold valid passports and visas, they are permitted to travel, work, and live in Pakistan under the one-document regime policy.

The policy of repatriating unlawful foreign nationals has been in place since October 2023, Talal Chaudhry recalled. Repatriation would be carried out in stages, he said. Pakistan returned undocumented foreign citizens to their home countries during the first phase.

Afghan individuals with Proof of Registration cards would be returned to their nations in the third phase, while cardholders in the second phase will be repatriated to their home countries by Pakistan, according to Geo News.
He said that after housing millions of Afghans for decades, Pakistan made this choice. According to Talal Chaudhry, the decision was made with the reality of the situation on the ground in mind. He said that Afghan citizens have been found to be involved in terrorist-related and drug-related operations in Pakistan.

He said that money made from drug sales is being utilised to finance criminal and terrorist endeavours. Regarding the number of Afghan people who have registered, he said that 1,469,522 were registered via the Proof of Registration program, and 815,247 Afghans were registered as Citizen Card holders.