PowerPoint Presentation

 

PoR/Asylum Seekers ACC/Undocumented PoR/Asylum Seekers/ACC/Undocumented

Balochistan 49%

22%Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

Punjab 14%

9%Sindh

Islamabad/AJK 6%

% OF ARRESTS BY LOCATION 1-12 OCTOBER 2023

UNHCR-IOM FLASH UPDATE #1

26 September 2023

The MoI in Pakistan internally issued its “Illegal Foreigners’ Repatriation Plan” to government institutions. The plan outlines that the “repatriation” of Afghan nationals will take place in three phases, starting with the identification and deportation of illegal, unregistered, and overstaying foreigners, with the second phase seeking to deport ACC holders, and the third phase seeking the forced repatriation of PoR holders.

3 October 2023

The MoI formally announced the decision by the caretaker government of Pakistan, to give a deadline of 1 November 2023 for all “illegal foreigners” to leave Pakistan, or else face expulsion.

7 October 2023

UNHCR and IOM issued a joint statement urging the Government of Pakistan to maintain the protection space for Afghan nationals in need of safety.

10 October 2023 Under the Ministry of States and Frontier Regions (SAFRON), the Chief Commissionerate for Afghan Refugees (CCAR) issued a government-wide circular, stating that PoR and ACC holders, are allowed to reside temporarily in Pakistan and can only be repatriated on a voluntary basis.

9 and 16 October 2023 The Home Departments of Balochistan and Sindh, issued a provincial-wide circular stating that Afghan nationals with valid PoR cards or ACC documents can only be repatriated on a voluntary basis, unless they are involved in criminal activities.

MONTHLY ARRESTS AND DETENTION TRENDS 2022-2023 (PoR HOLDERS)

5,895

3,477

1,344

1,396

861

971

997

2,053 835

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

2021

2022

1 Jan - 12 Oct 2023

PoR/Asylum Seekers ACC/Undocumented

ARREST AND DETENTION BY YEARS

MONTHLY ARRESTS AND DETENTION ANALYSIS 2023

INTRODUCTION In response to the Ministry of Interior’s (MoI) decision to enact an “Illegal Foreigners’ Repatriation Plan” on 26 September 2023, UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency and IOM, the UN Migration Agency, have collated their data on the arrest, detention, and deportation of Proof of Registration (PoR) holders, Afghan Citizen Card (ACC) holders, and undocumented Afghan nationals, as well as on the outflows of Afghan nationals at the Torkham and Chaman border crossing points, to better understand the protection environment and movements of Afghan nationals returning to Afghanistan from Pakistan.

CHRONOLOGY

It is important to note that prior to 2023, there was no data collected on the arrest and detention of ACC holders or undocumented Afghan nationals. Since January 2023, IOM has started to collect this data, which should be considered indicative at this point. The figures, particularly of undocumented Afghan nationals, should be considered underreported..

• In comparing the rate of arrest and detention of PoR holders, as collected by UNHCR, for the months of October 2022 and October 2023, the rate has increased by six-fold.

• Since the issuance of the “plan”, the rate of arrest has been highest in the province of Balochistan, making up almost half of all arrests in Pakistan.

KEY FINDINGS AND LIMITATIONS

19 OCTOBER 2023

ARREST AND DETENTION FLOW MONITORING (15 September – 15 October 2023)

PoR/Asylum Seekers 2022 PoR/Asylum Seekers 2023

 

 

This section only applies to ACC holders and undocumented Afghans

PUSH FACTORS (Multiple answers, N = 2,650, can exceed 100%) ORIGIN AND INTENDED DESTINATION (TOP 5, BY PROVINCE) PROVINCE OF ORIGIN PROVINCE OF DESTINATION

Fear of arrest 78% 1. Punjab 35% 1. Nangarhar 23%

No employment 42% 2. Balochistan 23% 2. Kabul 21%

Unable to pay utilities 26% 3. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 23% 3. Kandahar 21%

Unable to pay house rent 25% 4. Sindh 14% 4. Kunduz 6%

Communal pressure to return 20% 5. Islamabad Capital Territory 4% 5. Laghman 4%

• During the reporting period, UNHCR and IOM’s Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM) estimate a total of 59,780 Afghans returned through the Torkham and Chaman border crossing points to Afghanistan. Of these, 57,202 individuals spontaneously returned (96%), 1,567 individuals were facilitated by UNHCR (2%), and 1,011 individuals were forced to return (2%).

• The vast majority of the returnees were undocumented Afghans (95%), followed by ACC holders (3%) and PoR holders (2%).

• Fear of arrest (78%) was the most common reason among returnees to return to Afghanistan.

• Returnees were most likely to return from Punjab (35%) in Pakistan and intend to go to Nangarhar (23%), Kabul (21%) and Kandahar (21%) in Afghanistan.

KEY FINDINGS

59,780 (100%) TOTAL NUMBER OF RETURNS

57,202 (96%) TOTAL SPONTANEOUS RETURNEES

1,567 (2%) * TOTAL FACILITATED PoR RETURNEES

1,011 (2%) TOTAL DEPORTATIONS

TOTAL RETURNS AND % DEPORTATIONS | TORKHAM AND CHAMAN | 15 SEPTEMBER 2023 UNTIL 15 OCTOBER 2023

2,172

1,310 1,483 1,355 1,259

1,462 1,568 1,284

964

2,345

4,023

4,586 4,470

10.0% 8.0% 5.1%

4.8% 5.7%

100%

90%

80%

70%

60%

50%

40%

30%

20%

10%

0%

5,000

4,500

4,000

3,500

3,000

2,500

2,000

1,500

1,000

500

0

15 Se

p- 23

16 Se

p- 23

17 Se

p- 23

18 Se

p- 23

19 Se

p- 23

20 Se

p- 23

21 Se

p- 23

22 Se

p- 23

23 Se

p- 23

24 Se

p- 23

25 Se

p- 23

26 Se

p- 23

27 Se

p- 23

28 Se

p- 23

29 Se

p- 23

30 Se

p- 23

1. O

ct -2

3

2. O

ct -2

3

3. O

ct -2

3

4. O

ct -2

3

5. O

ct -2

3

6. O

ct -2

3

7. O

ct -2

3

8. O

ct -2

3

9. O

ct -2

3

10 O

ct -2

3

11 O

ct -2

3

12 O

ct -2

3

13 O

ct -2

3

14 O

ct -2

3

15 O

ct -2

3

Total Flow (Chaman + Torkham) Total Flow (Chaman) Total Flow (Torkham) % Deportation (Chaman + Torkham)

Contact: pakisim@unhcr.org – data.unhcr.org/pakistan iomislamabad@iom.int – pakistan.iom.int

Disclaimer: This document was produced jointly by IOM and UNHCR. The opinions expressed in the report are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of IOM or UNHCR. The designations employed and the presentation of material throughout the report do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area, or of its authorities, or concerning its frontiers or boundaries.

DOCUMENTATION CATEGORY OF RETURNEES

Undocumented 95%

3%ACC holder

PoR holder ** 2%

IOM DTM enumerator collecting flow monitoring data at Torkham border. [IOM Pakistan 2023]

ARREST AND DETENTION FLOW MONITORING (15 September – 15 October 2023)

UNHCR-IOM FLASH UPDATE #1

19 OCTOBER 2023

* The number refers to facilitated PoR returnees who crossed the border during the reporting period. 2,674 PoR holders, who were facilitated to return by UNHCR, approached encashment centers in Afghanistan for return assistance. ** PoR cardholder refers to an Afghan refugee registered by the Government of Pakistan.