ISLAMABAD: A Pakistani interior ministry official on Wednesday refuted claims by the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR), which said authorities were arresting hundreds of Afghan Proof of Registration (PoR) cardholders and forcing them to leave the country despite agreeing to extend their stay till Sept. 1.
More than 1.3 million Afghans in Pakistan hold PoR documentation, while 750,000 more have another form of registration known as an Afghan Citizen Card. PoR cards were issued by Pakistan to Afghans who were registered in collaboration with the UNHCR, recognizing them as a legal refugees in Pakistan.
Many Afghans have been settled in Pakistan since the 1980s to escape cycles of war in Afghanistan. However, Pakistan’s government started a repatriation drive in 2023 to expel all those residing in the country illegally, mostly Afghans, after a spate of suicide attacks in the country that Islamabad blamed on Afghan nationals without proof.
The government agreed to extend the deadline for PoR cardholders to stay till Sept. 1. However, UNHCR Pakistan spokesperson Qaisar Khan Afridi told Arab News hundreds of PoR cardholders in Punjab, Balochistan and Islamabad were arrested from Aug. 1-5. He said dozens were still being held while many have been asked to leave by Aug. 20.
“No arrest of PoR cardholders so far [has taken place] while action against Afghan Citizen Card [holders] and other illegal Afghans is underway,” Qadir Yar Tiwana, director of media at the interior ministry, told Arab News.
He said authorities will start taking action against PoR cardholders in the country from Sept. 1, when the deadline for their legal stay passes.
“Their [PoR cardholders] extension expired on Jun. 30, while they have been given time till Aug. 31 for voluntary return,” the official said. “Action will start from Sept. 1.”
.Afridi said the UNHCR has conveyed its concerns over reports of PoR holders being arrested before the Sept. 1 deadline.
“We have expressed serious concern on the forceful deportation and arrest of PoR refugees and urged the Pakistani authorities to stop it,” Afridi told Arab News.
He said the UN agency had urged Pakistan to extend the Sept. 1 deadline further to give Afghan refugees sufficient and reasonable time to return.
“In such a short period, over 1.4 million legal and documented refugees, including women and children, cannot go back,” he said.
“This action is against the commitment given to the UNHCR and constitutes a breach of Pakistan’s international obligations,” Afridi noted.
He urged the Pakistani government to stop the alleged deportations and adopt a “humane approach” to ensure the voluntary, gradual and dignified return of Afghan refugees to their country.
Pakistani authorities say all Afghan nationals must leave except those with valid visas, as part of the Illegal Foreigners Repatriation Plan launched in late 2023. More than a million have returned under this plan so far.
Pakistan has often blamed Afghan citizens— the country’s largest migrant group— for militant attacks and crimes, accusations Kabul has rejected.
Afghanistan is also facing a new wave of mass deportations from Iran, raising concerns among aid groups that the influx could further destabilize the country.
