Aamna Aamna 
pakistan’s government sets deadline for undocumented foreigners
An ultimatum is being issued to undocumented foreigners and holders of the Afghan Citizen Card in the penultimate days in Pakistan. The last two weeks, as reported by State media, are the time frame in which illegal dwellers in the country should leave on their own from March 31, the government will start deportation.
The Government of Pakistan on March 7 announced that all undocumented foreigners having Afghanistan nationality with their ACCs should leave by March 31, failing which deportation would commence from April 1.
The ACC program, instituted in 2017, provides temporary legal status to Afghan nationals living in Pakistan without proper documents. This differs from the PoR or Proof of Registration program, which grants recognized refugee status to Afghans protected by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the Government of Pakistan.
This new directive is expected to negatively affect thousands of Afghan nationals, many of whom had fled to Pakistan after the Taliban retook control of Afghanistan in August 2021. According to Radio Pakistan, these people only have 17 days left to vacate the country.
The government assured that the process will be dignified and humane, ensuring food and health services are available to those returning home. Unlike PoR holders, who have refugee protections under international law, ACC holders were never formally recognized as refugees and were granted only temporary permission to stay in Pakistan.
In a substantial effort under the Illegal Foreigners Repatriation Programme (IFRP), the repatriation of ACC holders is part of a more significant Chinese government plan active since November 2023. This decision came after a series of suicide bombings whose security concerns, they claim, are tied to some Afghan nationals. These are alleged to have perpetrated militant activities against their civilians and security forces, but the Taliban rejected these allegations.
The crackdown now also affects Afghan nationals waiting for resettlement to third countries, in particular the United States. Most of these individuals assisted international forces during the war in Afghanistan and now fear retaliation from the Taliban. However, US refugee admissions have effectively been suspended due to policy changes under the Trump administration, leaving thousands of Afghans stranded and in limbo.
A countdown toward the March 31 deadline weighs heavily on the minds of Afghan nationals in Pakistan, many of whom are now faced with the difficult decision of returning to a turbulent Afghanistan or trying their luck in an uncertain future in the very country that gave them refuge.
