The federal government has decided to repatriate registered Afghan refugees living in the twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi. According to a notification letter issued by the Prime Minister’s House, the refugees will be relocated by March 31. The decision is part of a phased repatriation plan, which will initially focus on refugees living in the twin cities. The government has assured that Proof of Registration (PoR) cardholders will not be forcibly evicted. 

Approximately 2 million Afghan refugees, including 1.3 million PoR cardholders and 700,000 Afghan Citizen Cards (ACC) holders, are currently residing in Pakistan. The government has granted PoR cardholders permission to stay in the country until June. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is in contact with international organizations and foreign embassies to facilitate the repatriation process. 

Earlier, seven former Afghan personnel were arrested in Balochistan’s Qilla Abdullah district over their alleged involvement in terror activities. According to Deputy Commissioner Muhammad Riaz Khan, the arrests were made possible by a tip-off from Levies sources, in a raid on house. The detained individuals, identified as former Afghan forces personnel, are accused of involvement in various terrorist activities. Additionally, they are also suspected of being involved in theft and robbery incidents in the area. 

In a separate development it was reported that Afghan citizens are allegedly using Pakistan soil illegally to travel to other countries. Authorities arrested a total of nine Afghan citizens for attempting to travel to Japan and the United States using fraudulent medical visas from Pakistan. Immigration sources indicate that this surge in counterfeiting is due to the suspension of Pakistani visit visas for Afghan nationals.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan (INP)