Islamabad, March 8, 2025 – Pakistan has set a March 31 deadline for Afghan Citizen Card (ACC) holders to leave the country as part of its Illegal Foreigners Repatriation Programme (IFRP). Over 800,000 Afghan refugees are affected by this decision, with deportation set to begin on April 1, 2025. The government assured that the repatriation process will be conducted humanely, with provisions for food and healthcare.
The move, amid strained Pakistan-Afghanistan relations over terrorism concerns, also complicates the resettlement of 15,000 Afghans awaiting relocation to the United States. Pakistan has hosted millions of Afghan refugees since the 1980s but is now addressing the growing issue of undocumented migrants with this new policy.
