Afghanistan ready to welcome its nationals, says diplomat amid ongoing repatriation process
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Afghan Consul General Mohibullah Shakir speaks to journalists in Peshawar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, April 16, 2025. — Reporter
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PESHAWAR: During the ongoing return of Afghan citizens from Pakistan, Afghan Consul General Mohabullah Shakir said his government was fully prepared to get its citizens and facilitate their return, they acknowledged Pakistan’s four decades long support for the refugees.
Talking to reporters in Peshawar, he noted that Afghan authorities have constituted a special commission to monitor the return process.
He added that camps have been set up in Afghanistan for the returners, where transportation and basic facilities are being provided to ensure smooth transfer. He assured that “Afghan citizens will not face any difficulties during the return process.
The federal government announced in early March that 800,000 Afghan citizen cards (ACC) would be canceled – the second phase of the deportation program, which has already forced 800,000 non -documentary Afghans from across the border.
The country has been hosting millions of Afghans for almost five decades. In the past few years, hundreds of them have returned to their country, but more than 2.1 million Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and other provinces have been living in other provinces.
Pakistan on March 31, along with all the illegal Afghans, as well as the deadline for those with ACC cards to return to their country during the growing incidents of terrorism in the country.
According to the Center for Research and Security Studies in Islamabad, it was the deadliest year in Pakistan last year, in which more than 1,600 people lost their lives in the attacks-half of them security forces personnel.
Pakistan has accused the Taliban government of failing to root out militants seeking asylum on Afghan soil.
The Taliban government has repeatedly demanded the “dignity” return of Afghans to its country, Prime Minister Hassan Akhand has called on countries hosting Afghans not to force them.
Addressing the media today, Shakir attracted a historical parallel, saying that Pakistan treated the same with refugees through “Ansar” in the early days of Islam through “Ansar”.
He said that Afghan children studied with Pakistani students and enjoyed the complete freedom of movement during their stay. However, he said the time had come for him to return.
The envoy revealed that the Taliban’s Supreme Leader Hebbatullah Akhunzada has assured that Afghanistan is now peaceful and is ready to welcome its citizens. He added, “The Supreme Leader himself confirmed that the dispute was over.”
He said that the allocation of land planned in Kanar and Nangara provinces and employment opportunities will be provided in the agriculture and business sectors.
The Consul General added, “Pakistan will always be a nation of our brotherhood.”
Number of Afghan refugees in Pakistan
According to data obtained by Geo News, there are currently 2.1 million registered and unregistered Afghan refugees in Pakistan.
Sources in the Ministry of State and Frontier Regions (Zafron) say 1.4 million Afghan refugees are legally registered, while 800,000 Afghan citizens have ‘Afghan Citizens Card’ (ACC), but now their establishment is considered illegal.
However, the government claims that the total number of Afghan refugees in Pakistan is three million, all of which will be brought back home this year under a plan for the deportation of foreign nationals.
Four varieties
Afghan citizens living in Pakistan for decades come in four types.
In the first type, Afghan citizens who fled to Pakistan due to instability in Afghanistan and were given the official status of refugees. In 2007, Pakistan issued evidence of registration (POR) card to these refugees, which now has about 1.3 million. The government issued these cards only once, and from time to time renewing them, the current justification expires on June 30, 2025.
The second type includes Afghan citizens who were issued an Afghan Citizens Card (ACC). In 2016, about 800,000 people received these cards, and they are now being brought back home as part of the deportation efforts.
The third type is Afghan citizens who fled to Pakistan after the Taliban occupation in 2021. These men were sheltered under the International Protocol. While the Pakistani government initially claimed that 600,000 Afghans had arrived after the US withdrawal, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) says only 200,000 were officially registered.
The fourth category includes non -documentary Afghan citizens who lack the status of both Purpur and ACC and are not registered as a seeking asylum since the arrival of 2021. This category also includes those who have married in Pakistan and obtained fake national identity cards. In the past two years, the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) has been canceling such fake identification IDs through its national verification and renewal campaign, now ranging on illegal residents.
