Pakistan is set to repatriate Afghan Citizen Card holders in the next phase of its Afghan refugee return plan, with authorities targeting March 31 as the deadline for their removal from Islamabad and Rawalpindi.
According to official records, around 800,000 Afghan refugees are residing in Pakistan under the ACC scheme.
The Interior Ministry has begun implementing decisions made in a high-level meeting chaired by the prime minister.
Government documents confirm that Afghan Citizen Card holders will first be relocated to other cities by March 31 before their final departure to Afghanistan.
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Meanwhile, Afghan nationals awaiting resettlement in a third country have been granted an extended stay until June 30.
However, those waiting for visas from another country will not be allowed to remain in Islamabad. "If any other country won’t issue a visa, Afghan citizens will be deemed as illegally staying in Pakistan,” the official papers state.
The Interior Ministry is required to submit a report on the implementation process to the Prime Minister’s Office every 15 days.
Authorities have also ramped up efforts to remove Afghan nationals from the federal capital and Rawalpindi in accordance with the new policy.
