The Government of Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province has warned unregistered Afghan refugees to immediately leave Pakistan, or face legal action. In a press statement, the Home Department of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province has said that those Afghan refugees who do not have Proof of Registration (PoR) Cards and other travelling documents should exit the country, or else they will be arrested.

Afghans who possess the registration cards known as Refugee Card among them have been warned to leave the country by December 31, 2012. They will not be granted permission to stay beyond the date.

There are 1.7 million Afghan refugees living in Pakistan with legal documentation, while another million illegally.

The Afghan Government has expressed concerns about the Pakistani decision. Officials from the Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation had earlier said that the Government has urged Islamabad to revoke their decision but to no avail. The Ministry says it would be against the Geneva Conventions to expel Afghan refugees by force against their will. Pakistan and Iran earlier at an international conference in Switzerland had promised not to force Afghan refugees to leave, and reiterated same commitment in Turkmenistan.

Officials at the Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation say if Pakistan expels three million Afghan refugees, the Government will not be able to accommodate them. The Government can only provide basic facilities for 400,000 returnees that include shelter for 72 hours, transport cost, $150 for each returnee and land plots.

Though the United Nation Human Rights Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) has doubted the Pakistani media reports, but officials from Islamabad have not denied yet. Foreign Ministry should take notice of the issue and officially convey concerns to Pakistan, if the media reports about expulsion of Afghan refugees are true.

Pakistan is bound to fulfill its obligation under international conventions on refugee and human rights. They cannot expel Afghan refugees who hold refugee registration cards by force until they are prepared to repatriate voluntarily. Our Government and the humanitarian organizations are not prepared to manage facilities for such a mass exodus of returnees.

It seems Pakistan wants to expel more than one million unregistered Afghan refugees by force, by the end of this year.