The government of Pakistan has decided to repatriate the registered Afghan refugees back to their homeland from the twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad.
According to an official statement, the Prime Minister House has sent a formal letter to all foreign embassies, including the Afghan Embassy, notifying the decision.
Afghan nationals holding Proof of Registration (POR) will be evacuated from Islamabad and Rawalpindi, but they will not be deported immediately. The federal cabinet has granted these refugees permission to remain in Pakistan until June.
Currently, around 2 million Afghan nationals are residing in Pakistan, including 1.3 million POR holders and 0.7 million Afghan Citizen Card (ACC) holders.
Afghan nationals waiting to be relocated to any country other than Afghanistan will be transferred from Islamabad and Rawalpindi by March 31.
If an Afghan refugee cannot relocate to a third country, he or she will be sent back to Afghanistan.
