Pak Punjab Government Starts 2nd Phase Of Afghan Migrants’ Deportation Programme

The Ministry of Interior in Punjab, Pakistan, has officially announced the initiation of the second phase of deporting Afghan migrants from the region.

Sources referenced by Pakistan's Jang newspaper reveal that the federal government plans to distribute a list of Afghan migrants possessing temporary Afghan Citizen Cards (ACC) to the police for the purpose of deportation.

Initially issued by the Pakistani government in 2017 and 2018, these ACCs were intended as temporary identification for Afghan migrants.

With the expiration of these cards, the validity period has come to an end.

The government of Punjab is urging all ACC holders to voluntarily repatriate to Afghanistan by the deadline of April 15. Those remaining beyond this date will face arrest and forced deportation.

Insights from Pakistani sources suggest that the completion of this phase will pave the way for the subsequent deportation of individuals holding permanent residency cards, marking the third phase of the operation.

The extent of this policy's application, whether confined to Punjab or applicable across Pakistan's other provinces, remains uncertain.

A deportation initiative has been underway since November 2023, with Pakistan's interim government committing to the expulsion of approximately 1.7 million undocumented Afghan migrants.

This move contrasts with previous statements from the Pakistani government, which had assured that holders of both temporary and permanent residence cards would not be subject to deportation.