Pakistan’s plan to evict thousands of undocumented Afghan migrants

Pakistan has announced plans to repatriate all illegal immigrants, including hundreds of thousands of Afghan nationals, in an orderly and phased manner, rather than through a single mass expulsion.

As reported by Al Jazeera, the announcement of a November 1 deadline for people to leave or face forced expulsion had strained relations with Afghanistan's Taliban rulers, who deemed the threat to expel Afghan migrants as "unacceptable."

According to Pakistan's foreign office spokeswoman, Mumtaz Zahra Baloch, the repatriation process will occur in stages, and it will be conducted in an organized manner. She clarified that not all individuals would be expelled simultaneously, contrary to some misconceptions.

The phased approach may begin with individuals who have criminal records, such as those involved in criminal activities or smuggling. Each case will be examined individually.

While specific data on the total number of illegal immigrants, including Afghans, was not provided, Pakistan's Interior Minister Sarfraz Bugti stated that approximately 1.73 million Afghans in Pakistan lacked legal documentation, and the total number of Afghan refugees in Pakistan was estimated at 4.4 million.

The decision to repatriate illegal immigrants was reportedly made by Pakistan's civil and military leaders in response to increasing attacks by Islamist militants. Bugti claimed that 14 out of 24 suicide bombings in Pakistan this year were carried out by Afghan nationals.