The federal government has decided to start moving Afghan refugees out of Islamabad and Rawalpindi ahead of their planned repatriation back to Afghanistan, without publicly announcing any operation.

According to a memo seen by Khabar Kada, the decision to press ahead with the removal of Afghan refugees was taken in a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on January 29. According to a report in Dawn, Army Chief General Asim Munir was also present in one of the meetings that discussed the issue.

The plan involves moving the refugees out of the twin cities in the first phase and then deporting them according to their legal status. However, authorities have decided that the plan will not be publicly announced and instructions have been issued to the Ministry of Information in this regard.

The refugees who hold Afghan Citizen Cards (ACC) will then be sent back to Afghanistan along with undocumented refugees, who are already being deported in large numbers.

The ACC is a NADRA issued document that gives refugees a temporary legal cover. Approximately 700,000 refugees carry the ACC in Pakistan. The government can decide how long an ACC is valid.

Around 1.3 million refugees possess the Proof-of-Registration card which allows them to live in Pakistan legally. These refugees will reportedly be removed from Islamabad and Rawalpindi immediately but will not be deported immediately with illegal refugees. The government has already given POR holders to stay till June before being repatriated.

Over 10,000 Afghan refugees are in Pakistan awaiting resettlement in other countries. The deadline for their removal from Islamabad has been set at March 31, 2025.

Their move has been put in jeopardy by a recent executive order by US President Donald Trump that immediately cancelled all resettling flights to the US. The latest move by the Pakistan government could further jeopardise things for Afghan refugees waiting to move abroad as they are expected to visit embassies and other offices for documentation. Many refugees are also enrolled in language and other classes to facilitate their settlement in other countries.

In October 2023, the caretaker government had called upon all illegal Afghan refugees to leave the country voluntarily or face deportation. Following this announcement, hundreds of thousands of refugees have left or have been deported.

In November last year, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi had announced that Afghan national would not be allowed to stay in Islamabad when the year 2024 ended. Beyond the deadline, Naqvi had stated, the refugees would need a no-objection certificate to stay in the capital. Naqvi had said that the decision was taken after refugees were found to have been involved in the November 26 protests in the capital by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf.