Pakistan starts preparations to launch second phase of repatriation of Afghans: Report

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has started preparations to launch the second phase of its repatriation drive to send nearly one million 'documented' Afghans back to Afghanistan, with orders given to district authorities and police to find and gather data of their whereabouts across the nation, Pakistan-based Dawn reported citing documents.

An official aware of the development said directives have been issued to district administrations and police to expedite the mapping of Afghan Citizen Card (ACC) holders, the report said. No date has been announced yet. However, an official said the campaign to repatriate ACC holders could start in early to mid-summer, after receiving go ahead from Pakistan's federal government.

Speaking to Dawn, Abid Majeed, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's additional chief secretary, said, "We have already started the mapping process." He said, "It will pick up the pace after Ramazan and we hope to complete the survey before April 30."

According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), there are 2.18 million documented Afghan refugees in Afghanistan, which include 1.3 million refugees having Proof of Registration (PoR) cards as per the census conducted in 2006-07 and an additional 880,000 refugees issued ACCs after a registration drive in 2017.

Afghans arrived in Pakistan after the Taliban seized power in August 2021. According to officials, the number of Afghans who arrived in Pakistan was between 600,000 and 800,000, some with valid travel documents, but an uncertain future, Dawn reported.

Earlier in November, Pakistan launched the first round of repatriation of what it described "undocumented aliens." Pakistani authorities have released no official data as to how many of the estimated 1.7 million undocumented Afghans have left Pakistan since November 2023.

The total number of undocumented Afghans who have returned to Afghanistan through Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan in the first round of Pakistan's repatriation drive stands at around the half million-mark, Dawn reported, citing informed sources.

Amid rising pressure to pace up the repatriation of undocumented Afghans in the face of a low exit headcount, officials urged Pakistan's Ministry of Interior soon, wondering about the origin of the '1.7 million undocumented Afghans' claim and requesting revalidation of the figure.

No one is aware of how many of the 880,000 ACC holders remain in Pakistan or how many of them have chosen to return to Afghanistan voluntarily. The officials said they have approached Pakistan's Ministry of Interior to double check the figure with the National Database and Registration Authority, according to Dawn report.

Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid, who had earlier termed the repatriation of undocumented Afghans "unacceptable," recently called for more refugee leniency from Pakistan. However, Pakistan, undeterred by criticism from Afghanistan and concerns from the United Nations and human rights bodies, seems to have made up its mind to continue with its repatriation programme and even include documented Afghans.

The repatriation of Afghan refugees, which was part of the National Action Plan, has been now included in Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's 100-day working plan, Dawn reported. All provinces and the government of Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir have been directed to complete the mapping and verification process of ACC holders by March 25, 2024. However, the officials said the mapping could take longer and it might take at least another month to complete the process.

Sindh has already issued written orders to all concerned. In a letter from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's Home and Tribal Affairs Department, the district administration and police were asked to "revitalise" the mapping of ACC holders, indicating an eight-point modus operandi to complete the entire exercise by April 15, 2024.