Tue Feb 04 17:56:07 UTC 2025: ## Pakistan to Secretly Relocate and Repatriate Afghan Refugees from Islamabad and Rawalpindi
**Islamabad, February 4, 2025** – The Pakistani government is secretly implementing a plan to relocate and ultimately repatriate registered Afghan refugees from Islamabad and Rawalpindi, according to a report in the Dawn newspaper. The plan, finalized in meetings chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and attended by the Chief of Army Staff, involves a phased approach.
Phase one focuses on the immediate relocation of Afghan nationals holding Afghan Citizens Cards (ACC), followed by their repatriation to Afghanistan alongside undocumented refugees. Those with Proof of Registration Cards (PoR), allowing legal residency in Pakistan until June, will be moved in the second phase, though not immediately deported. Afghans awaiting resettlement in third countries, estimated to number 10,000-15,000 by one source, must leave Islamabad and Rawalpindi by March 31st.
The plan, implemented without public announcement, affects an estimated 1.3 million Afghans with PoRs and 700,000 with ACCs. The Ministry of Interior will oversee the operation, with intelligence agencies monitoring its progress. The decision is expected to create significant logistical challenges for refugees, many of whom rely on services in Islamabad.
This move comes amidst a larger crackdown on undocumented Afghan refugees that began in 2023, resulting in the return of over 800,000 Afghans since September 15th, 2023, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM). Despite government assurances to the Supreme Court of legal protection for registered refugees, reports of arrests and detentions persist. Human rights groups have criticized the forced repatriations.
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