Senate body reviews repatriation of Afghan refugees, issues of AJK, G-B

ISLAMABAD: The Senate Standing Committee on Kashmir Affairs, Gilgit-Baltistan and States and Frontier Regions (SAFRON) held a meeting on Monday to review key governance, humanitarian, environmental and security-related issues concerning Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Gilgit-Baltistan and the repatriation of Afghan refugees.

The meeting was chaired by Senator Asad Qasim and attended by Senator Nadeem Ahmed Bhutto, Senator Faisal Saleem Rehman, Senator Nasir Mehmood and Senator Atta-ul-Haq.

The panel carried out a detailed review of the post-flood situation in Gilgit-Baltistan. Members raised questions regarding the deteriorating condition of early warning systems in the region. It was apprised during the briefing that a Rs 336 million project proposed by the Directorate General of Meteorology had been sent to the Ministry of Climate Change, but no response had been received so far.

Additional Chief Secretary Gilgit-Baltistan Mushtaq Ahmed informed the Senate body that screens and dashboards had been installed in Deputy Commissioner offices and that real-time data was now being received. The Committee was further briefed that 115 early warning systems were currently operational across Gilgit-Baltistan.

The meeting was also informed about forest conservation initiatives in Gilgit-Baltistan, including the establishment of Forest Conservation Committees at the village level. Authorities stated that approximately 30 Forest Conservation Committees were active with the support of the Forest Department, while 54 committees were engaged in protecting more than 30,000 hectares of land in collaboration with the department.

During the meeting, the Committee discussed the prevailing situation in Azad Jammu and Kashmir, including the recent unrest manifested through the demands of the Awami Action Committee, which members observed could pose challenges to national unity. However, the discussion on this critical issue could not proceed due to the continued non-participation of the Chief Secretary of Azad Kashmir, who failed to attend the meeting for the second consecutive time.The panel subsequently deferred this agenda with the direction that Chief Secretary would ensure his participation in the next meeting.

The Ministry of Interior and the Chief Commissionerate for Afghan Refugees regarding the repatriation of Afghan nationals. It was informed that the Ministry of Interior and Narcotics Control issued an SRO on 31st July 2025 declaring Afghan refugees holding Proof of Registration cards illegal and directing their immediate deportation. Following a meeting held on 4th August 2025, a one-month grace period was granted for voluntary return until 1st September 2025, after which deportations commenced.

The panel was informed that provincial governments were assigned the lead role in deportation in consultation with relevant stakeholders, including Commissionerates for Afghan Refugees. The Chief Commissionerate for Afghan Refugees, with the support of provincial Afghan Commissionerates, NADRA and UNHCR, enhanced the capacity of existing Voluntary Repatriation Centers. It was further stated that 11 NADRA-established Proof of Card Modification centers were converted into Voluntary Repatriation Centers to facilitate dignified return. At these centers, Afghan nationals holding Proof of Registration cards were de-registered from NADRA’s ANR database and provided transportation facilities to border points along with their families.

According to data shared with the committee for the year 2025, a total of 1,155,221 Afghan nationals were repatriated, including 163,429 Proof of Registration card holders, 74,943 Afghan Citizen Card holders, 509,671 undocumented individuals and 407,178 voluntary returnees.

The committee was also informed that a total of 54 Afghan refugee camps currently exist across the country, including 43 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 10 in Balochistan and one in Punjab. Members sought clarification on how many Afghan nationals had entered Pakistan, how many were currently residing in the country and where they were living. The committee directed the concerned ministries to provide year-wise and district-wise data from 2005 to 2025.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2026