Pakistan has postponed the deadline for the deportation of hundreds of thousands of Afghan nationals due to the Eidul Fitr holidays.
Originally, the government had set March 31 as the deadline for Afghans with specific documentation to leave the country, as part of an intensified repatriation initiative. However, the deadline has now been extended to early next week to accommodate the holiday period, the official stated.
Afghans holding Afghan Citizen Cards (ACC)—documents issued by Pakistani authorities and reportedly held by approximately 800,000 people, according to the United Nations—will face deportation once the new deadline expires.
In addition, more than 1.3 million Afghans with Proof of Registration (PoR) cards issued by the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) are set to be relocated outside Islamabad and the neighboring city of Rawalpindi.
The UN estimates that nearly three million Afghans currently reside in Pakistan, many of whom sought refuge due to decades of conflict in their homeland. The number of Afghan refugees in Pakistan surged following the Taliban’s return to power in 2021.
