INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Pakistan&s interior ministry on Friday asked all &illegal foreigners& and Afghan Citizen Card holders to leave the country before March 31,
warning they would otherwise be deported from April 1.Islamabad has in the past blamed militant attacks and crimes on Afghan citizens, who
form the largest portion of migrants in the country
Kabul has rejected the accusations.&Pakistan has been a gracious host and continues to fulfil its commitments and obligations as a
responsible state,& the country&s interior ministry said in a statement, Reuters reported
&It is reiterated that individuals staying in Pakistan will have to fulfil all legal formalities.&Pakistan launched its repatriation drive
of foreign citizens, most of whom are Afghan, in 2023, but had said they were first focusing on foreigners with no legal documentation.More
than 800,000 Afghans hold an Afghan Citizen Card in Pakistan, according to U.N
Another roughly 1.3 million are formally registered with the Pakistan government and hold a separate Proof of Residence card
The statement did not specify how PoR holders would be affected.The U.N
says that more than 800,000 Afghans have returned to Afghanistan from Pakistan since the repatriation drive began and that in total Pakistan
hosted around 2.8 million Afghan refugees who crossed the border during 40 years of conflict in their homeland.Among those are tens of
thousands of Afghans in the process for resettlement to the United States and other Western nations following their withdrawal from
Afghanistan in 2021 as the Islamic Emirate took over. The post Pakistan asks illegal foreigners, Afghan Citizen Card holders to leave by
March 31 first appeared on Ariana News.
