In a recent development, the caretaker government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has announced an exemption for illegal immigrants who are scheduled to resettle in Western countries from the ongoing crackdown on undocumented migrants.
The KP home department conveyed through a letter that a list of illegal foreigners, destined for third countries, had been received from the federal Ministry of Interior, the sources told PakProfile.com.
As a result, individuals on the list, bound for third countries, would not be subject to arrest under the ongoing crackdown. This decision has been made following the expiration of the deadline for voluntary repatriation on November 1. Several illegal foreigners entered Pakistan, but they plan to leave for Europe, the United States and different other Western countries. A list of persons has been shared with police and relevant departments who are exempted them from arrest.
Officials said that over 1.5 million Afghan nationals entered Pakistan after August 2021, when the Afghan Taliban took over Kabul, adding that over half of those Afghans got themselves registered with UNHCR for resettlement in Europe, the US and other countries.
Although the deadline for voluntary repatriation expired on Nov 30, the voluntary repatriation is still underway.
