Pakistan has deported 2.8 million Afghan nationals since 2023
More than 1.43 lakh Afghans have been sent back from Punjab province as the government intensifies its campaign against illegal residents.
Pakistani authorities have deported 2.807 million Afghan nationals from across the country since 2023, according to a report by Daily Excelsior on Thursday.
The Punjab government's home department stated that 143,474 of these individuals were deported from Punjab province since September 2023.
The province has intensified its campaign against Afghan nationals residing there illegally, following a federal government policy that considers any stay without a valid visa illegal.
Under this procedure, the foreign national security wing arrests illegally residing Afghans and moves them to holding centres. There are currently 39 functional holding centres in Punjab providing temporary accommodation, registration, and repatriation services.
The home department said that detainees are handed over to Afghan authorities at the Torkham border after due process is completed.
UN human rights experts have urged Pakistan to stop the deportation of Afghans who face risks of torture, persecution, and other serious human rights violations.
