ISLAMABAD: The government has reaffirmed April 30 as the final deadline for all foreign nationals residing in Pakistan without valid visas to leave, intensifying its crackdown under the Illegal Foreigners Repatriation Plan. This move specifically targets undocumented Afghan nationals, with Interior Ministry officials stressing the need to enforce immigration laws more strictly.
Minister of State for Interior, Talal Chaudhry, announced the renewed push on Friday, highlighting Pakistan’s longstanding hospitality but emphasizing that the time has come to implement the law. The announcement comes ahead of a high-level Pakistani delegation, led by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, set to visit Kabul for talks with the Afghan government.
The government initially set a March 31 deadline for Afghan citizens without legal documents to voluntarily return, but the deadline was extended to April 30. Since the beginning of April, over 84,800 Afghan nationals have been repatriated in a coordinated effort with Afghan authorities, according to Chaudhry.
Pakistan has hosted millions of Afghan refugees over the past four decades, but with over 2.1 million still residing in the country, the government cites rising security concerns as a major reason for the crackdown. Chaudhry warned that Pakistanis providing housing or employment to undocumented foreigners would face legal consequences. He also revealed intelligence suggesting that weapons left by US forces in Afghanistan have been acquired by terrorists, raising regional security threats.
