Islamabad, (TDI): Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi announced on Wednesday that Afghan citizens will no longer be allowed to reside in Islamabad after December 31 unless they are granted a special certificate by the district administration.
This new directive marks the latest escalation in Pakistan’s ongoing crackdown on Afghan nationals living in the country without legal status.
Since November 2023, nearly 800,000 Afghans have been expelled as part of a government-led deportation campaign, which has drawn strong condemnation from international governments and human rights organizations.
The deportation drive began in response to a rise in bombings and militant activities, which Pak has attributed to Afghan nationals or militants crossing the border from Afghanistan.
The Pakistani government has also accused illegal Afghan migrants and refugees of involvement in criminal activities such as smuggling.
The Taliban government in Kabul has rejected these allegations, asserting that Pakistan’s security challenges are internal issues and should not be blamed on Afghanistan.
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In addition to the security concerns, Pakistani authorities have accused Afghan nationals of participating in anti-government protests in support of Imran Khan, the jailed former prime minister.
Pakistan Government
The Islamabad police chief confirmed that 19 Afghan nationals were among the more than 900 individuals arrested during the recent protests in the capital.
Naqvi clarified that any Afghan wishing to remain in Islamabad after December 31 must obtain a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the deputy commissioner’s office.
“After December 31, no Afghan citizen will be allowed to stay in Islamabad without an NOC,” he told reporters.
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Before the deportation campaign began, Pakistan was home to over four million Afghan migrants and refugees, including around 1.7 million undocumented individuals.
While Afghans make up the largest group of migrants in Pakistan, many have been in the country since the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979, with a significant number arriving after the Taliban’s return to power in Kabul in 2021.
Although the Pak government claims that the deportation drive targets all “illegal aliens,” the crackdown has disproportionately affected the Afghan community.
