Misconceptions and Propaganda against Pakistan’s Recent Policy About Undocumented Immigrants

In October earlier this year,  Pakistan ordered all undocumented and illegal immigrants to leave the country if they were residing without passports and visas. Pakistan adopted this repatriation policy to encourage legal immigration pathways and uphold the value of fair, orderly processes. 

Misconceptions and Propaganda being created by both international and domestic actors in the media mainly include:

• The move is explicitly targeting Afghan immigrants.
• Enough time has not been given to immigrants before repatriation.  
• Afghan immigrants are being mistreated during the process of repatriation. Their belongings have been vandalized and money has been confiscated.
• Pakistan gets aid for immigrants and is not doing any favour. 
• The lives of Afghans being repatriated will be threatened under the Taliban, especially risk groups like women, children and NATO-aligned groups (destined for third countries).
• The move is to penalize the Taliban government for not cooperating with Pakistan on the issue of taking action against Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). 
• Opportunity to register the immigrants has not been provided. 
• “Registered refugees” are also being targeted in the garb.  
• No facilities exist at border crossing points – no water, no food and no shelter at transit centers. 

Why did Pakistan take this decision? 

• The decision of the Government of Pakistan is aimed at regulating “illegal aliens” residing in Pakistan, irrespective of their nationality. 
• The aim is to ensure that those staying illegally and overstaying their visa validity are deported back to their parent countries, precisely in line with international norms. 
• Some of these immigrants are involved in the smuggling of currency and contraband, resulting in the devaluation of Pakistani currency along with other serious implications on the economy. 
• Afghan nationals were found involved in terror-related incidents and suicide bombings. 
• Pakistan is facing economic challenges and has limited capacity to manage a large number of illegal immigrants.

Pakistan’s Response to Propaganda 

Deportation of illegal foreigners applies to all & is in line with International Principles. 

• Hosting legal/ illegal immigrants from Afghanistan for over 44 years is a commendable act of humanity and Pakistan has gracefully shouldered this burden. 
• Hospitality is in Pakistan’s DNA; however, recent decisions are grounded in the rule of law. 
• No country in the world accommodates illegal immigrants of any status, similarly, Pakistan has an equal right to send illegal immigrants back to their countries. 
• The government’s policy envisages a phased and time-bound repatriation of all illegal foreigners residing in Pakistan. Deportation will not affect registered refugees.  
• Illegal immigrants were given two chances in 2005 and 2022 to register themselves free of cost. However, they did not avail the facility, fearing they would come under monitoring. 
• The decision is not targeted against Afghan refugees, rather it is against illegal foreigners. By default, most of them are from Afghanistan for obvious reasons that create a false impression that the decision is against Afghans only.
• Afghan nationals in Pakistan have surged to around 4 Mn. Out of these, 1.4 Mn holding Proof of Registration (PoR) cards are legally registered. Furthermore, a one-time Afghan Citizen Card (ACC) is issued to approximately 880,000 refugees. Pakistan is deporting only those 1.7 million in the first phase who are not in possession of either of the above and living entirely illegally. A huge population of approximately 2 million refugees will still be present in Pakistan after this repatriation. 
• According to a report by Reuters, 14 out of 24 suicide bombings were carried out by Afghan nationals in Pakistan in 2023, which is 58% role in such attacks and justifies Pakistan’s decision. This is also against the decree of the Supreme Afghan Commander Hibatullah Akhundzada.
• Refugees all over the world are kept in camps or confined to move within a certain area. Pakistan is the only country where 70% of Afghan refugees have chosen urban or semi-urban areas as their residence, while the remaining 30% are spread across 54 different regions and are allowed to do business anywhere in the country.
• Pakistan Ministry of Interior, along with departments of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), police, and immigration, are in the lead in the repatriation process, consistently advocating a humane approach. 
• Despite sufficient early warning given before the deadline, crossings of repatriations recorded between 1 Oct to 30 Oct 23 were about 57,000 which comes to about 2000 persons per day. Whereas normal routine crossing is around 15,000 daily. This shows a non-serious attitude of immigrants towards the Government of Pakistan’s instructions.  
• Unfortunately, immigrants have been encouraged by dissident elements and IAG to highlight their so-called precarious situation in the media exaggeratedly.  
• Pakistan’s decision should not be taken against any ethnicity or race; instead, the decision is against illegal immigrants of any nationality, a rightful demand of Pakistan according to international norms. 
• UNHCR receives and spends global funding for refugees in Pakistan and the money is not deposited in the Government of Pakistan account. Hence, the argument that ‘Pakistan gets aid for immigrants’ is just a myth.
• Pakistan is committed to its national policy of capacity building in Afghanistan.   On 2 November 23, Pakistan announced the third phase of 4500 scholarships for Afghan students. On the contrary, Pakistani students in Afghanistan face visa issues and expulsions; for instance, on Jan 23, several Pakistani female students were expelled from medical colleges in Afghanistan.

• Unfortunately, more than four decades of generosity and goodwill have not been preserved by the IAG, its people, and those who are criticizing Pakistan’s decision.
• The World and International Organizations to Fulfil their Responsibilities as Regards Afghanistan and its Immigrants 
• Balancing national sovereignty with human rights obligations is a complex task, but when repatriation follows legal procedures, humanitarian principles do not constitute human rights violations.
• West is not playing its responsible role in alleviating the troubles of Afghan people within and outside Afghanistan, including recognition and engagement with IAG. There are about USD 7 Bn of Afghan assets from the country’s central bank frozen in the US which have not been released so far despite Afghanistan’s frail situation.
• Instead of scapegoating Pakistan, the international community must fulfil their commitments/ pledges made to their Afghan allies.
• Propagating that the lives of immigrants will be threatened in Afghanistan is a farce. The lives of only those who had been overtly working for allied forces could be at risk. However, western countries who had pledged their settlement did not do so even after two years.
• According to Voice of America, after Aug 2021, between 600,000 to 800,000 Afghan nationals fled to Pakistan to take refuge fearing Taliban rule. Actual number of NATO-allied Afghan nationals requested by foreign embassies was limited to 10-12 thousand only. UNHCR is exceeding the allowed numbers for the regions. In addition, Afghans also exaggerate threats to life for ultimate settlement in the West.  
• Moreover, foreign embassies shared incomplete data without their full credentials (IDs, passport numbers, addresses, telephone numbers etc). Even the US embassy shared a list of 25000 of its Afghan allies after two years and that too when the deadline set by Pakistan had expired.  
• Of 77,000 Afghan evacuees pledged by the US after Aug 2021, just 10% have secured permanent protections. [1, 2]   
• According to the Electronic Immigration Network, UK is badly failing their Afghan allies with thousands living temporarily in hotels, mostly in Pakistan; only 54 have been resettled through the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme.
• Pakistan’s recent coordination with the British government to transport 2000 Afghan nationals to UK via 12 special flights exemplifies its commitment to humanitarian values and also impels the remaining West to uphold their commitments. 
• Deportation or repatriation of illegal immigrants is being undertaken by other countries as well and therefore Pakistan may not be taken as an exception.  According to Afghan International, in 2023, Iran deported over 738,000 and Turkey deported 3277 immigrants. [3]  
• India officially treats Afghan refugees/ asylum seekers as illegal immigrants and does not recognize their rights pertaining to social services or protection. Propaganda against repatriation is a face-saving effort of India after the closure of the Afghan embassy in Delhi, denial of visas to Afghan students, trapped Afghan military trainees and refusal to accept IAG appointed envoy for India etc. [4,  5] 
• According to SBS Australia, Australia has rejected more than 50,000 Afghan visa applicants, leaving them stranded mostly in Pakistan and Iran. 
• IAG Policy and Actions Need Introspection
• The decision is purely grounded in the rule of law and propaganda that it is a reaction to IAG non-cooperation on the Tehreek-i-Taliban (TTP) issue is totally false.

• Afghan citizens fled their country due to war and uncertainty. Now that peace, stability and certainty prevail in Afghanistan, their illegal stay in neighboring countries should be a matter of disrepute for IAG. 
• As per the claim of IAG authorities, Afghanistan’s economy is improving and the Afghan currency is gaining stability against the USD. This is good enough a reason for IAG to welcome their own stranded people back to their country.
• With more than 29 Mn Afghans facing dire humanitarian and economic crisis, Taliban need to ensure unhindered access for all humanitarian aid workers, especially women, to serve the vulnerable Afghan population, which unfortunately is not being done.   
• It is ironic that IAG, who does not recognize the basic human rights of its people i.e.  right to education, work and free speech at home, in a stark display of contradiction, wants illegal Afghan immigrants’ rights in Pakistan.
• Pakistan is committed to Organized, Compassionate and Safe Repatriation 
• Pakistan took up the challenging task of setting up 77 transit centers in all provinces, including AJK, GB and Islamabad, to temporarily house 1.7 Mn undocumented Afghans.  
• Adequate security has also been arranged at transit centers; security personnel would escort the immigrants in buses to border crossings.
• Undocumented immigrants, especially women, children, and the elderly, are being kept at these centers with respect and provided with meals and medical facilities. The provincial govt would bear the costs for such centers.
• Pakistan has even exempted women and children from NADRA verification at exits to ease repatriation.
• Government has issued instructions by the Interior Ministry to law enforcement agencies that there would be no manhandling of illegal foreigners; in case of any, it can be reported at the Interior Ministry’s exclusive helplines which are 051-9211685 & 051-111367226. Also, the Ministry of States and Frontier Regions stated no actions will be taken against registered Afghan refugees holding proof of registration (PoR) on cards and holders of Afghan Citizen Cards (ACC) issued by Nadra.
• Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has also issued a ‘1700’ emergency number to deal with any situation.
• This policy is not specific to Afghanistan; it pertains to all illegal foreigners irrespective of their nationality.
• Facilities at border crossing points have recently been enhanced to ensure a smooth repatriation process. 
• Last but not least, police, government officials and the general public are very kind to those being repatriated by providing them with food, water and other basic needs.
• Pakistan remains in contact with Afghan authorities and will continue to engage with them on all matters of bilateral interest, including the safe return of illegal Afghan immigrants.