Islamabad:
As the state of more than one million Afghan citizens who have registration cards (by) hang in balance after the expiration of their stay limit last month, refugees are concerned about economic losses due to the possible elimination of their assets in the hurry they built in the last five decades.
Although there is a slow implementation of the repatriation plan for illegal foreigners, refugees are concerned that they can be forced to sell their valuable assets at disposable prices in case the validity of their cards does not extend even more.
Due to security and economic considerations, the Pakistani authorities decided to repatriate all illegal foreign immigrants in November 2023. Pakistan has so far repatriated approximately 1.3 million Afghan and there are still around 1.6 million retreat, according to the data compiled by a United Nations entity.
These include more than one million refugees who have cards for, but these documents expired on June 30, 2025. The Government is considering two options, either giving a temporary extension or offering these card holders for a long -term visa, according to officials who deal with the subject.
Until now, a decision has not been made to extend the cards for, but the government is working on a new visa policy for foreigners, said Chaudhry Talal, the Minister of State of Interior, while talking with the Express PAkGazette.
The issue to give an extension had also been discussed in the federal cabinet, but a decision was not made.
Talal said that the new visas policy would offer incentives for foreign investment in Pakistan and that Afghan citizens can also take advantage of that.
Beyond the limits, an initiative of the Center for Research and Security Studies, has been working for the resolution of the issue of Afghan refugees. He is advocating a permanent solution to the problem so that refugees who came to Pakistan after 1979 are not forced to sell their assets at discounted prices and these people can also positively contribute to the local economy.
Only the people of the Dostokhail tribe have approximately RS52 billion in assets in Peshawar in the form of mobile and immovable properties in the names of others, said Ahmad Shah, a tribe merchant. The rich Afghan should not be deported, since it is mutually beneficial for them, as well as for Pakistan, said Ahmad Shah.
Shah said they are not allowed to have assets and cannot open bank accounts. But the authorities of the Central Bank said that thousands of card holders by had bank accounts.
Shah said his tribe also contributed more than 14 billion or $ 51 million in foreign remittances last year. These remittances are sent by the members of the tribe working in Europe, Canada and the United States, he added.
“Our family has no criminal record, and we are merchants who do business in black tea, tires and batteries,” said Ahmad Shah.
“My children are born in Pakistan and do not want to return to Afghanistan,” said Shah, who is worried about selling their Benami assets at disposable prices if the government finally decides to repatriate all Afghan refugees.
“We are merchants because we do not have a state of permanent residence and we cannot legally invest in Pakistan,” said Mohammad Bakhtiar, another member of the Dostokhail tribe.
However, for the Pakistani authorities, $ 51 million in remittances do not compare much with the cost they believe that the Pakistani economy was paying due to the presence of Afghan refugees. The cost has the form of the role of Afghan refugees in the illegal currency trade and the smuggling of goods under the Afghan Transit Commerce Agreement.
In the last fiscal year, Pakistan received a record of $ 38.2 billion in foreign remittances that helped publish a current account surplus of $ 2.1 billion. But there are questions about the sustainability of these remittances due to the federal government’s decision to freeze subsidies for remittances. It has also reduced the benefits in foreign remittances, but a decision remains pending on who would pay the bill.
The construction of currency reservations is the responsibility of the Central Bank, therefore, the scheme should finance, said Secretary of Finance Imdadullah Bosal to the National Finance Committee of the Assembly Assembly this week.
Bosal said the federal government had no funds to continue with the scheme of the Pakistan remittance initiative. The secretary said the Ministry of Finance was working with the Central Bank to find a solution, since money is not maintained in the new budget.
“Compared to the budgeted allocation of RS89 billion in the last fiscal year, the Ministry of Finance received almost RS200 billion claims from the Central Bank … That is a fairly substantial portion,” Bosal said.
He said that one of the options was for the Central Bank to deduce the cost in advance of the profits it transfers to the federal government. However, the challenge is that it would still be treated as part of the main expenses.
After multiple rounds of background discussions, Beyond Boundars has recommended rationalizing the visa processes for merchants of Afghan origin and granting them the residence, which allows them to invest in Pakistan.
