Teams formed to identify Afghan refugees after deadline ends

• Govt had set Aug 31 deadline for all Afghan refugees.
• Sub-divisional level teams to identify Afghan families.
• Refugee camps across the country closed.
  

As the government’s deadline for undocumented Afghan refugees expired on Sunday, teams comprising police, district administration, and other relevant departments have been formed to begin identification and verification efforts across the country.

The government had set August 31 as a deadline for all kinds of Afghan refugees staying in Pakistan for over 46 years, The News reported.

They were asked to repatriate to their homeland as authorities had warned of action from September 1.

“Teams have been constituted at the sub-divisional level to identify Afghan families in their area. Assistant commissioner of the area, along with deputy superintendent of police and other relevant officials will supervise the operations in their respective areas,” a senior official said on Sunday.

Another official said no strict action had been ordered, and the assigned team would knock on the doors of these Afghans and ask them to leave since the deadline for their stay had ended.

Thousands of Afghans applied for Pakistani visas in the last few months after realising they were not going to be allowed to stay in Pakistan without any valid documents anymore.

A large number of them have got the visas for themselves while their families have returned home after staying here for around 46 years.

Most of those who applied for the visas are vendors and shopkeepers, while a few ran restaurants and other businesses.

A number of refugee camps across the country have been closed while more are being closed.

Police and district administrations are preparing to implement the policy on the Afghan nationals who do not possess a Pakistani visa or valid travel documents from today.

The government had announced in early August that all those staying in the country without a visa and valid travel documents had been residing illegally since June 30 and should leave by the deadline.

Thousands of Afghan families have left for their homeland during the last few years.

In the first phase in 2023, Pakistan asked all those undocumented Afghans to return home.

Later, those possessing Afghan Citizen Cards were returned in early 2025 while August 31 was set as deadline for those who obtained Proof of Registration Cards.

A large number of them are yet to wind up businesses and pack up their homes, saying they needed more time.