Illegal foreigners: Repatriation deadline will not be extended: minister

ISLAMABAD: State Minister for Interior Talal Chaudhry on Thursday said that the deadline set for repatriation of illegal foreigners will not be extended, and so far 827,157 Afghan Citizen Card (ACC) holders as well as other illegal foreigners have left the country.

“One Document Regime (ODR) policy will be strictly implemented and no one will be allowed to live illegally in Pakistan,” he said, while addressing at a press conference. He said that Afghans are our brothers, but this decision had to be made based on ground realities, as many of the terrorist incidents that occurred in the country are linked to Afghan nationals.

He also highlighted the narcotics trade originating from Afghanistan, which he claimed is indirectly fuelling terrorism.

Chaudhry said that the government had finalised the three-phase Illegal Foreigners Repatriation Programme (IFRP) on October 30, 2023.

In the first phase, undocumented foreigners without any identification documents were deported, he said, adding that in the second phase, beginning February 13, 2025, ACC holders are to be deported, with March 31, 2025, as the final deadline.

The third phase will involve the deportation of Afghan cardholders, he said.

He revealed that so far, 827,157 undocumented foreigners and ACC holders have already been repatriated.

“There is no more room for illegal residency in Pakistan,” he said, adding that the Ministry of Interior has taken all provinces on board, and transit points have been established nationwide to provide shelter, medical facilities and food for departing Afghan nationals.

The minister said that under the document regime policy, foreigners, including Afghans, must now enter and reside in Pakistan with valid visas and documentation. “Just like citizens of other countries, Afghans can come to Pakistan legally, do business, and live here—but only with proper documentation,” he said.

About the registered Afghan citizens, Chaudhry said that the total number of ACC cardholders of Afghan citizens is 815,247, and under the Proof of Registration (POR) Programme, which ran from 2006 to 2023, around 1,569,522 Afghan nationals were registered in Pakistan. As many as 11,000 Afghan nationals have left the country after April 11, he said.

He said that government is determined to fully implement ODR across all borders, stating that whether it concerns Afghan nationals or citizens of any other country, the same standard will apply. “Just as we regulate the western border, we will regulate the eastern border in the same manner. This 2,600-kilometer-long border is challenging to manage, and it is a major route through which terrorism infiltrates,” he said.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2025