Photo credit: KabulNow
Pakistani authorities have delayed the latest phase of mass deportation of Afghans till April 10.
AMU reports that the deadline was originally set for April 1 has been shifted due to Eid al-Fitr holidays.
The delay has offered a brief reprieve for tens 9f thousands of Afghans living in Islamabad and Rawalpindi, who were told to leave voluntarily by March 31 or face arrest and deportation.
However, officials have made clear that the operation remains on track to expel as many as 3 million Afghans from the country this year.
So far, at least 845,000 Afghans have already left over the past 18 months, according to the International Organization for Migration. Pakistani officials say around 3 million still remain. Of those, 1.3 million hold Proof of Registration cards that grant them temporary legal status until June 30. More than 800,000 carry Afghan Citizen Cards, which are now being invalidated. Another estimated 1 million Afghans are undocumented and considered illegal residents.
Authorities said Afghan Citizen Card holders must leave the capital region immediately or be forcibly deported and warned that resettlement-bound Afghans must also leave Islamabad and Rawalpindi by March 31.
The government has vowed to prevent deported Afghans from returning despite mounting criticism from human rights groups.
Many of those facing deportation are those who fled after the Taliban takeover in August 2021. Tens of thousands were approved for US resettlement programs due to their ties with American institutions, including the military, NGOs, and media outlets. But those plans were abruptly halted in January when President Donald Trump suspended US refugee admissions, leaving roughly 20,000 Afghans in a .imbo within Pakistan.
Pakistani officials have said they would work with foreign embassies to facilitate third-country resettlement for eligible Afghans.
Naturally, the crackdown has triggered widespread anxiety across Pakistani, where Afghan migrants have lived for decades. Critics argue that the campaign punishes vulnerable families, many of whom have little or no connection to Afghanistan and fear persecution under Taliban rule.
