13 lakh people will be removed from Pakistan, sending notices to all provinces, said PAK government- now they have become illegal residents.

The Government of Pakistan will send more than 13 lakh Afghan refugees back to their country, who are registration proof (POR) card holders. From September 1, the process of formally seating these people will be started.

According to the news of Pakistani news paper ‘The Dawn’ newspaper, the government has also sent notices to all the provinces in this matter. According to the report, on 31 July, the Interior Ministry announced that the POR card holders had become illegal residents on June 30 after the validity of his card was over. After this, the government decided to direct them. POR is the last category of Afghan citizens living legally in Pakistan without a visa.

In connection with the implementation of the valid Foreign Reporting Scheme (IFRP), the letter of August 4 of the Interior Ministry has been sent to the Chief Secretaries of the four provinces and the police chiefs as well as the administration of the Gilgit-Baltistan region of Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (POK).

The letter said, “It has been decided that the voluntary withdrawal of POR card holders will be started immediately, while the formal repatriation and exile process will be effective from September 1, 2025.” It said that the repatriation of all illegal foreign nationals including Afghan Citizen Card (ACC) holders will continue as per the earlier decision under IFRP.

In the letter, PoK officials have been instructed to provide databases of POR card holders to provincial, divisional and district committees. The letter states that the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) will provide the facility to cancel the registration of Afghan citizens returning home at transit areas and boundary terminals, while the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) will cooperate in repatriation on the specified limit posts.

Efforts to send Afghan refugees home in Pakistan started in 2023. The government then announced to deport all illegal foreigners. According to government sources, about 8,00,000 Afghan citizens have been sent back so far.

According to the United Nations Refugee High Commissioner (UNHCR), the number of Afghan refugees in Pakistan has been estimated to be more than 13 lakhs by 30 June 2025. According to the UNHCR, more than half (7,17,945) in Afghan refugee Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, while 3,26,584 in Balochistan; 1,95,188 in Punjab; 75,510 are living in Sindh and 43,154 in Islamabad.