RASC News Agency: Pakistani media, citing officials, has reported the commencement of the second phase of Afghanistani refugee expulsion from the country. According to a report by Dawn newspaper published on Monday, Mar 25, quoting its sources, the Pakistani government has instructed its police to swiftly compile information about the whereabouts of Afghanistani holders of temporary residency cards.
Data from international organizations indicate that nearly 2.18 million documented Afghanistani refugees, including 1.3 million registered individuals and over 880,000 with temporary residence cards, reside in Pakistan. A Pakistani official, whose name was not disclosed in the report, stated that the second phase of Afghanistani refugee expulsion from the country is likely to begin in early or mid-summer.
According to the information provided, the Pakistani government, in the second phase of Afghanistani refugee expulsion, also grants them a one-month opportunity to voluntarily return to their country. Following the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan, an additional 600,000 to 800,000 Afghanistanis have fled to Pakistan, with passports and residence visas of some expiring, leaving them in limbo.
In November last year, the first phase of forced expulsion of approximately 1.7 million undocumented Afghanistani refugees from Pakistan commenced. Since the beginning of this phase until now, over 500,000 Afghanistani refugees have entered Afghanistan, either voluntarily or through coercive means.
