The government’s recent decree demanding the departure of undocumented foreign residents, whether voluntarily or by force, by October 31, has ignited intense debates. This move has raised crucial questions: Why has the government chosen this moment? Who does this policy precisely target — is it limited to Afghan refugees, or does it apply to all undocumented and stateless communities, including Bengalis and Rohingyas?
Various doubts surround the accuracy of refugee statistics, the government’s logistical capacity to enforce this policy within the given timeframe, and its ability to handle the deportation of such a substantial number of people.
Geo.tv talked to a diverse range of government and law enforcement officials, experts, and political leaders — both on and off the record — with the aim of unravelling the complexities shrouding this government policy.
Why is the government taking this action now?
Pakistan had previously announced plans to facilitate the return of Afghan refugees over the past few years. Repatriating Afghan refugees was also one of the 20 objectives outlined in the National Action Plan (NAP), a counter-terrorism policy adopted by the government in January 2015 after Taliban militants martyred over 150 schoolchildren in Peshawar in December 2014.
However, the recent announcement is closely tied to the escalating violence in the country, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan provinces, and the growing tension between the Pakistani government and the Taliban administration in Kabul, according to experts and officials.
Pakistan had hoped that the Taliban’s control in Kabul would lead to an end to sanctuaries for the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), a group accused of launching attacks in Pakistan from bases within Afghanistan. Unfortunately, the opposite happened. The new rulers released hundreds of TTP militants from Afghan prisons and armed them with weapons left behind by the US, leading to a sharp increase in terror attacks within Pakistan. Despite continuous pleas from Islamabad, the Taliban has denied harbouring such groups.
Additionally, the Taliban’s escalated operations against Daesh in Afghanistan have forced the transnational militant group’s regional affiliate to relocate to Pakistan, resulting in a surge in their attacks within the country.
According to a recent report by the Center for Research and Security Studies (CRSS), more than 700 security forces and civilians have been martyred in militant attacks in the first nine months of the year.
Sarfraz Bugti, the caretaker interior minister, said that Pakistan’s crackdown on illegal Afghan immigrants is necessary because Afghan nationals have carried out 14 out of 24 suicide bombings in Pakistan this year, and eight of the 11 militants involved in recent attacks on two Pakistani military installations were Afghans.
