The deportation of nearly 880,000 Afghan Citizen Card (ACC) holders, along with all foreigners illegally residing in Pakistan, is underway following the expiration of the official March 31 deadline, which mandated the return of these individuals to leave the country voluntarily. The move has caused considerable "mayhem" — both in Afghanistan and elsewhere — with calls for compassion and refrain from forced repatriation.

But quite interestingly, Iran has expelled over 1.5 million Afghans in the last two years but hardly has it been subjected to the kind of scrutiny that Pakistan is currently facing. One wonders why Pakistan is singled out for a drive that in essence is centred in the need for documentation of every foreigner that enters, resides or leaves the country.

The Interior Ministry defends the crackdown, arguing "sufficient time has already been granted for their dignified return", emphasising that no one will be maltreated during the repatriation process, that began as the Illegal Foreigners Repatriation Program in November 2023. It forced around 850,000 undocumented refugees to return to Afghanistan in the first phase. They largely included hundreds of thousands of Afghans who fled their country in the wake of its takeover by Taliban in August 2021.

The ongoing second phase is primarily targeting individuals who possess the ACC.........

© The Express Tribune