ISTANBUL
A Pakistani official on Friday said the country deported over 84,000 Afghan nationals since late March as part of a repatriation drive.
Talal Chaudhry, an adviser to the interior minister, told a news conference in the capital Islamabad that Afghan refugees who wish to remain in Pakistan beyond April 30 must obtain a valid visa.
Afghans without legal documents to stay or those having Afghan Citizen Cards were asked to return home or face deportation by March 31, a deadline which was extended to April 30.
According to Chaudhry, nearly 25,000 of those deported held Afghan Citizen Cards, while the rest had no official documentation.
He added that the deportees are being temporarily held at transit centers before crossing the border into Afghanistan.
Separately, Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar will make a visit to Kabul on Saturday.
He will be accompanied by a high-level delegation and is expected to meet Afghanistan’s acting prime minister and foreign minister. The refugee issue is expected to be brought up during the meetings among other issues.