KARACHI: Pakistan set a Nov. 1 deadline for all foreigners without legal documents, including more than a million Afghans, to leave the country or face forcible expulsion.
Here are key facts about Islamabad’s plan to deport hundreds of thousands back to its western neighbor Afghanistan:
- Pakistan announced the Wednesday deadline on Oct. 3, giving more than a million people about four weeks to move.
- The sudden expulsion threat came after suicide bombings this year that the government said involved Afghans, though without providing evidence. Islamabad has also blamed them for smuggling and other militant attacks as well as petty crimes.
- Islamabad says Afghan nationals were found to be involved in attacks against government and the army, including 14 of this year’s 24 suicide bombings.
- Pakistan is home to more than 4 million Afghan migrants and refugees, about 1.7 million of them undocumented, according to Islamabad, although many have lived in Pakistan for their entire lives.
- About 600,000 Afghans have crossed into Pakistan since the Taliban took over in 2021, joining a large number present since the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979 and the ensuing civil wars.
- More than 60,000 Afghans returned to Afghanistan from Pakistan between Sept. 23 and Oct. 22, ahead of the deadline, with thousands more expected to have been on the move last week.
- Islamabad says deportation will be orderly, carried out in phases and start with those who have criminal records. Authorities have vowed raids in areas suspected of housing “undocumented foreigners” after Wednesday.
- Authorities have set up “holding centers” to process deportees before they return to Afghanistan. Reuters could not determine how long they might be detained in the centers.
FACTBOX: Pakistan’s plan to expel over 1 million Afghans living in the country illegally
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FACTBOX: Pakistan’s plan to expel over 1 million Afghans living in the country illegally
- Pakistan announced Nov. 1 deadline on Oct. 3, giving over a million people about four weeks to move
- More than 60,000 Afghans returned to Afghanistan from Pakistan between Sept. 23 and Oct. 22
Pakistan, US discuss boosting anti-narcotics cooperation, pledge stronger ties
- Mohsin Naqvi highlights Pakistan’s ‘zero-tolerance policy,’ says National Narcotics Coordination Center to be set up soon
- ANF operations this year led to seizure of 134 tons of drugs, arrests of over 2,000 suspects, including 75 foreign nationals
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and the United States vowed to strengthen bilateral ties with a special focus on anti-narcotics cooperation during a meeting between Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi and acting US ambassador Natalie Baker on Saturday, said an official statement.
The talks covered intelligence sharing, joint efforts to curb drug trafficking and measures to prevent illegal immigration.
Pakistani officials also briefed the meeting on recent operations by the Anti Narcotics Force (ANF) and plans to modernize screening and enforcement at airports.
“We are strictly implementing a zero-tolerance policy on narcotics,” Naqvi said, according to the Interior Ministry.
“Airports are being equipped with the most advanced scanning machines, and detecting drug smuggling at every possible stage is our top priority,” he continued, adding that drugs originating from Afghanistan were reaching dozens of countries and “destroying the younger generation.”
Naqvi said Pakistan would welcome US technical assistance for counter-narcotics efforts and confirmed that a National Narcotics Coordination Center would be established soon.
The statement said Baker offered US support for Pakistan’s work to combat narcotics and prevent illegal immigration, saying Washington attached “special importance” to its relationship with Pakistan and would continue cooperation across sectors.
During the meeting, Pakistani officials presented a detailed briefing on ANF operations, noting that under the annual counter-narcotics campaign, 134 tons of drugs had been seized, 2,001 suspects, including 75 foreign national, arrested and narcotics worth $12.797 billion confiscated.
Authorities also reported arresting 110 Afghan nationals in Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Sindh provinces, clearing 40,659 acres of poppy cultivation and maintaining poppy-free status in several regions.
Naqvi said Pakistan regarded ties with the US as important for promoting regional peace and stability and remained committed to strengthening long-standing bilateral relations.
The meeting was also attended by the interior secretary, the ANF director general, the director of enforcement and officials from the US embassy.
