A total of 2,807,250 undocumented Afghan nationals have been repatriated from Pakistan, including 143,474 from Punjab, according to the Punjab Home Department.
The department said operations to repatriate undocumented Afghan nationals were continuing under the directives of the Punjab chief minister, with the Foreign National Security Wing of the Home Department carrying out measures to implement the government’s policy.
Under the policy, undocumented Afghan nationals are taken into custody and shifted to holding centres, where the required documentation is completed before they are sent back to their home country.
According to the Punjab Home Department, the government considers the stay of Afghan nationals without valid visas illegal. More than 400,000 search operations have been conducted across residential areas and markets in Punjab as part of the ongoing crackdown.
The department further said cases had been registered against 803 individuals in Punjab for renting out properties to undocumented Afghan nationals.
Currently, 39 holding centres are operational across the province, housing 153 Afghan nationals. These centres provide temporary accommodation, registration facilities and arrangements for repatriation.
The Punjab Home Department said Afghan nationals being repatriated were handed over to Afghan authorities at the Torkham border, while the process continued in accordance with the government’s policy.
