Pakistan has issued a final ultimatum to Afghan refugees residing in the country without proper documentation, asking them to leave by April 30. The ultimatum was announced by Pakistan’s Interior Minister Talal Chaudhry.
At a press conference held in the capital city Islamabad on Friday, the Interior Minister stated, “Pakistan has shown unparalleled hospitality for decades, but now it is time to strictly enforce the country’s immigration laws. Those Afghans who do not possess valid documentation to reside as refugees must leave Pakistan by April 30. Otherwise, after that date, the government will take stern action and law enforcement agencies will be deployed.”
“We have warmly welcomed our Afghan brothers and sisters for the past 40 years. But no country in the world tolerates undocumented foreigners, and Pakistan is no exception,” he added.
At the press conference, Talal Chaudhry also informed that Pakistan’s Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar will soon visit Kabul along with a high-level diplomatic delegation to hold talks with the ruling Taliban government on this issue.
According to official figures, nearly 2.5 million Afghan migrants are currently living in Pakistan. Among them, around 1.5 million have valid residency documents, while the rest are undocumented.
However, the actual number is believed to be much higher. A large portion of these Afghans sought refuge in Pakistan during the Soviet military invasion of Afghanistan between 1979 and 1989.
Although these refugees did not pose significant problems over the past 35-36 years, the situation began to change from 2022. Since then, there has been a sharp rise in terrorist attacks, bombings, and suicide bombings in the country, resulting in thousands of military and civilian casualties over the last two and a half years. In 2024 alone, more than 1,600 people were killed in terrorist attacks in Pakistan. Half of the victims were members of the police, security forces, or military.
Most of these attacks were carried out by Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), the Pakistan branch of the Taliban group that governs Afghanistan. Pakistan alleges that TTP is strengthening its organization by recruiting from among these refugee Taliban groups.
Discussions between the Pakistani government and the military on repatriating Afghan refugees began in late 2023. In 2024, Pakistan already deported several thousand undocumented Afghan refugees.
Previously, on March 1, the Pakistani government had announced that all undocumented Afghans must leave by March 31. On Friday, that deadline was extended to April 30.