Islamabad, 3 October 2023 (dpa/MIA) – Pakistani authorities Tuesday announced a deadline for all illegal immigrants including Afghan nationals to leave the country, in a decision that comes amid a surge of violence in the country.

The National Apex Committee comprising civil and military leadership discussed the surge in violence and took the decision. 

"We have given the illegal immigrants a deadline of November 1 to voluntarily leave the country otherwise law enforcement agencies will deport them," Interior Minister Sarfraz Bugti told a press conference in Islamabad.

The deadline is for all illegal immigrants but the decision seemingly targets Afghan nationals who are alleged to be behind terrorist activities in Pakistan. 

The minister said that Afghan nationals were behind 14 out of the 24 suicide bombings in the country this year.

"We have the evidence of attacks carried out against Pakistan from Afghanistan and involvement of the Afghan nationals," he said.

There are around 4.4 million Afghan refugees in the country and 1.7 million are living illegally, he said.

A task force has been set up to track and trace illegal immigrants, their properties and businesses and take action against the local facilitators.  

Law enforcement agencies have already launched a crackdown against illegal immigrants and arrested hundreds of Afghan nationals in the past weeks.   

The Afghan embassy in Islamabad said on social media platform X that Pakistani authorities arrested 485 migrants with valid travel documents.

Pakistan hosts one of the world's largest Afghan refugee communities, who fled after their country was invaded by the Soviet Union in 1979 or during later conflicts.

The country announced the expulsion of Afghan refugees several times in the past, but these decisions were never carried out and deadlines have been extended.