An Afghan official has asked refugees to return from Pakistan ‘with dignity’ inside the deadline imposed by the Pakistani government.

In a statement issued on X on Friday, Mohammad Sadiq Akif Muhajir, spokesman for the Afghan Ministry of Information and Culture, said that as per information received from diplomatic sources Afghan refugees holding Proof of Registration (POR) cards will ‘face the same fate’ as ACC card holders.

"All Afghans should collect their belongings with dignity and return to their beloved country, Afghanistan, by the specified time," Muhajir said. He added that no extension will be made to Pakistani government's deadline.

Pakistan announced in September 2023 that it would begin deporting all illegal aliens including Afghan refugees from the country. Although undocumented refugees were deported in the first phase, the program later included Afghan Citizen Card holders as well.

The government had set a March 31 deadline for ACC holders to voluntarily leave the country, before they were deported. As the deadline expired, Afghan refugees across the country were transferred to holding centres in major cities. The refugees are then transported to the border accompanied by a NADRA team from their district, where they are deported after documentation.

As of Friday morning, 8,478 refugees had been deported from Punjab alone. Thousands have also been deported from other provinces.

Meanwhile, June 30 has been set as a deadline for PoR holders to leave the country. The government has announced multiple times that no extensions will be made to the deadline.

Many of the Afghan refugees being deported have lived in Pakistan for generations. International agencies including UNHCR have called upon the government to view the matter through a 'humanitarian lens'. On its part, the federal government maintains that no refugees will be harassed or intimidated as part of the repatriation process.