Pakistan Cracks Down on Illegal Afghan Immigrants After Surge in Militant Attacks

Islamabad: After a surge in militant attacks, Pakistan has ordered all illegal Afghan immigrants to leave the country by November 1. The move comes after the revelation that 14 out of 24 suicide bombings in Pakistan this year were carried out by Afghan nationals.

Interior Minister Sarfraz Bugti made the announcement in Islamabad after a meeting with civil and military leaders. He said that approximately 1.73 million Afghan nationals in Pakistan lack the necessary legal documentation to stay.

The decision comes in the wake of two recent suicide bombings that targeted religious gatherings in Pakistan, resulting in the tragic loss of at least 57 lives.

Bugti said that the decision to remove illegal residents aligns with the National Action Plan, which was established in 2015 to address the threat of militancy.

He emphasized that illegal immigrants have until November 1 to voluntarily return to their home countries. Failing to do so will result in law enforcement agencies from both the federal and provincial levels deporting them.