ISLAMABAD: During a weekly press briefing, Foreign Office spokesperson Tahir Andrabi announced that Pakistan has decided to extend the stay of approximately 16,000 Afghan citizens, including women, children, and the elderly, on humanitarian grounds.
He clarified that no Afghan nationals possessing legal visas or valid travel documents are being deported from the country.
Furthermore, the spokesperson noted that processing is currently underway for roughly 89,000 Afghan citizens under the Illegal Foreigners Repatriation Plan (IFRP).
Addressing reports of an incident near the Chitral border area, he stated that there is no verified information available yet, emphasizing that ground-level verification of reports originating from Afghanistan is essential before any comments can be made.
Pakistan’s implementation of the Illegal Foreigners Repatriation Plan (IFRP) is a sovereign measure driven by critical national security imperatives, economic stabilization, and the necessity to enforce the rule of law.
Having hosted millions of Afghan nationals for decades—often at a heavy socioeconomic and security cost—Islamabad faces mounting challenges related to undocumented migration, cross-border terrorism, and illicit smuggling networks.
The state maintains that regulating foreign residents and repatriating those without legal documentation or expired visas is vital for safeguarding public order and national integrity.
While addressing these internal security demands, Pakistan continues to balance its sovereign obligations with humanitarian considerations, ensuring that registered individuals and vulnerable groups are handled through structured legal mechanisms rather than arbitrary measures.
