PESHAWAR: The government has started mapping undocumented foreigners and Afghan Citizen Card holders in various parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. But no strict steps are being taken. Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur has clearly stated that no Afghan national will be forced to return.
A senior police official confirmed that there is no operation against Afghan families in the province. Those who choose to go back on their own are receiving full support from the authorities.
“Mapping is taking place in several areas of Peshawar,” said Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Operations Masood Ahmad Bangash. He shared this during a media talk. The federal government had ordered the return of undocumented foreigners and those holding Afghan Citizen Cards after the March 31 deadline. This repatriation has already begun in Punjab, Sindh, and the federal capital, with people being sent back via Torkham.
Afghan families coming from other regions are being temporarily placed in two holding centers. These centers are located in Peshawar and Khyber. However, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa administration has not issued any instruction to act against ACC holders.
An official said, “We’ve been directed not to force anyone. Only those returning by choice are being sent back.”
Social media is full of videos showing emotional farewells. Locals are seen bidding goodbye to Afghan families who lived among them for decades. Many of these Afghans formed deep ties with the locals. Some even married into local families. A number of these cases are now pending in courts.
According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Pakistan hosts 2.1 million registered Afghans. Most of them live in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Out of this number, over 800,000 hold Afghan Citizen Cards, while about 1.3 million have Proof of Registration (PoR) cards.
Even though there is no forced action in KP, many families have begun preparing for their journey home. The uncertainty surrounding their future is pushing them to leave, even after spending over 40 years in Pakistan. Some of these people were even born in Pakistan and have never seen Afghanistan.
Pakistan has been sheltering Afghan nationals since the Soviet invasion in 1979. Despite thousands returning in recent years, over 2.1 million Afghans still live across KP and other provinces. Some government departments estimate the Afghan population in Pakistan at over three million. This number does not include unregistered migrants or those who have managed to obtain Pakistani identity documents.
The UNHCR has raised concerns over the ongoing process. Their spokesman, Qaiser Khan Afridi, highlighted that some Afghan Citizen Card holders may still need international protection. “We urge the authorities to deal with them through a humanitarian lens,” he stated.
