Heeding to the international pressure, Pakistan has extended the deadline for the deportation of Afghan refugees without proper document and waiting to relocate to Western countries till February 29.
The development comes a week after US Special Representative for Afghanistan Thomas West visited Pakistan and met with Pakistan's caretaker Foreign Minister Jalil Abbas Jillani.
The decision to extend the deadline from December 31 to February 29 next year was taken to encourage Afghan nations to obtain legal documents or finalise evacuation arrangements in a third country as soon as possible, caretaker Information Minister Murtaza Solangi was quoted by Dawn.
Wide range of issues on both sides, including the deportation of the undocumented Afghans were discussed during West’s visit.
The forced expulsion of Afghans without documentation has drawn widespread criticism from human rights activists, UN officials, and others, who have asked Pakistan to reconsider the controversial policy.
Also, the cabinet decided that Afghan nationals who have to leave for a third country and do not have any legal documents or processing fees would be fined USD 400 for overstaying in Pakistan. Earlier the amount was fixed at USD 800.
The cabinet was informed about 4,50,000 people had gone back to their native country the majority voluntarily, the report said.
Since the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan in 2021, there was a spike in the Afghan migration.
An estimated 1.7 million Afghans had been living in Pakistan when authorities announced its nationwide crackdown, saying that anyone without proper documents had to leave the country by October 31 or else get arrested.
