Islamabad, Pakistan — Pakistan has expelled more than 80,000 Afghan nationals since the end of March as part of its ongoing program of forced returns, a senior Pakistani official said on Friday.
Talal Chaudhry, an adviser to Pakistan’s Ministry of Interior, said at a news conference in Islamabad that the expulsions are part of a broader campaign to remove undocumented foreign nationals that began in late 2023. He emphasized that the April 30 deadline for undocumented Afghans to leave Pakistan would be strictly enforced, and that only those holding valid visas would be allowed to stay.
“The repatriation program is part of the plan to return illegal foreign nationals,” Chaudhry said.
Pakistan had earlier warned Afghan citizens without valid residency permits, or those holding only Afghan identity cards, that they must leave the country by March 31. That deadline was later extended by one month.
Pakistani officials have repeatedly accused Afghan nationals of involvement in terrorist attacks and other criminal activities — allegations that Afghan authorities have rejected. The Afghan government has condemned the mass expulsions as forced returns that violate humanitarian principles.
Chaudhry’s remarks came one day ahead of a planned visit to Kabul by Pakistan’s foreign minister, Ishaq Dar, who is expected to lead a high-level delegation for talks with Taliban officials.
In a statement, Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the talks would cover “all dimensions” of Pakistan-Afghanistan relations and would focus on enhancing cooperation in areas including security, trade, regional connectivity and people-to-people exchanges.
Pakistani authorities have also announced the establishment of temporary centers in several cities to shelter Afghan citizens before transferring them to the Torkham border crossing in the northwest of the country.
