ADSP Briefing Note: Deported to what? Afghans in Pakistan
On 26 September 2023, the Ministry of the Interior of the Government of Pakistan issued the Illegal Foreigners Repatriation Plan. According to the proposed plan, it is intended to “regulate the foreigners in Pakistan and to ensure that the foreigners staying illegally or overstaying their visa validity are deported back to their parent countries.”
This Plan outlines the proposed return / deportation procedures for non-citizens who reside in Pakistan and do not hold a valid visa. According to media reports, the Plan was created in response to “growing terrorist threats, engagement by foreigners in criminality, and negative associated impacts to the economy”. It is estimated that nearly 1.7 million Afghans are likely to be affected by the decision which will come into effect on 1 November 2023.
Returnees from Pakistan primarily return to Afghanistan via the Torkham border in Nangarhar province and Spin Boldak border in Kandarhar. According to data from IOM, since 1 January 2023, 84,000 Afghan returnees have passed through the two border crossings, excluding those forcibly returned.
Since September 2023, the rate of return is approximately 300-400% above the average monthly levels for the first half of the year. Many are in need of livelihoods, shelter, health and protection assistance. In September this year 14,807 undocumented Afghan returned from Pakistan through the Torkham and Spin Boldak border crossing points, almost doubling the return figures seen in August (7,578). NRC’s team working at the border have corroborated that there has been a stark increase in Afghans returnees since the announcement in September. At present, this increase in returns is being reported as largely spontaneous, however, the increases in the number of people returning ‘voluntarily’ to Afghanistan each day are likely linked to the threat of forced deportation made by the Pakistan Government.
The Illegal Foreigners Repatriation Plan – already approved by Federal Cabinet – suggests that the process of repatriation shall be carried out in phases. The first cohort of returnees (“Phase I”) is slated to be ‘illegal’ / unregistered foreigners and those who have overstayed their visa validity periods. This will include all foreigners but will primarily be Afghans. In the next phases, Pakistani authorities propose to repatriate / deport Afghan Citizen Card (ACC) holders (“Phase 2”), followed by the repatriation of Proof of Registration (PoR) card holders (“Phase 3”). It is unclear what if any protections ACC or PoR cards may hold.
The full Briefing Note can be found here.