QUETTA: Over 30,000 Afghan nationals illegally living in Quetta division have so far been sent to Afghanistan in less than a month, official sources said.

All illegal Afghans living in Pakistan were asked by the government to return to their country by July 31st.

A large number of Afghan refugees went back to Afghanistan after the deadline fixed by the Pakistani authorities expired, but a large number of refugees did not go back to their country.

Due to this situation, the government decided to launch a legal action against them and joint teams of police, Frontier Corps, FIA and district administration were formed that took action against the Afghans who had ignored the Pakistan government’s deadline.

On Tuesday, a meeting, chaired by commissioner of Quetta division, Shahzeb Khan Kakar, reviewed ongoing crackdown launched against illegal Afghans living in the province.

The meeting was attended by deputy commissioner of Quetta retired Captain Meharullah Badini, assistant commissioner Kaleemullah and representatives of police, FIA, Nadra, special branch, PTA, home department and other relevant agencies. Deputy commissioners of Qila Abdullah and Pishin as well as the SP of Pishin joined the meeting online.

The officials concerned informed the meeting that coordination between all agencies and institutions had been strengthened to speed up the operation against illegal Afghans.

The commissioner instructed participants of the meeting to carry out operation against undocumented Afghans daily, and record of all illegal residents’ bank accounts and mobile SIMs be collected.

He stressed the need for involving local elders and community leaders to ensure that the process of sending illegal Afghans back to their country takes place in a peaceful manner.

The commissioner also directed that special care must be taken regarding women and children during the operation, and that all departments must work in close consultation and coordination to devise an effective strategy to ensure repatriation of all illegal Afghans to Afghanistan.

Published in Dawn, August 13th, 2025