The spokesperson for the ministry of foreign affairs has reiterated that the Illegal Foreigners Repatriation Plan (IFRP) applied to all illegal foreigners residing in Pakistan, irrespective of their nationality and country of origin.

“We have seen the press statement by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. The IFRP applies to all illegal foreigners residing in Pakistan. The decision is in exercise of Pakistan’s sovereign domestic laws, and compliant with applicable international norms and principles,” the spokesperson said in a statement on Monday.

The statement came after Ravina Shamdasani, Spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, urged the Pakistan authorities to suspend forcible returns of Afghan nationals “to avoid a human rights catastrophe.”

“We are extremely alarmed by Pakistan’s announcement that it plans to deport “undocumented” foreign nationals remaining in the country after 1 November, a measure that will disproportionately impact more than 1.4 million undocumented Afghans who remain in Pakistan,” she said.

Shamdasani went on to add that the Afghan nationals facing deportation will be at grave risk of human rights violations if returned to Afghanistan, including arbitrary arrest and detention, torture, cruel and other inhuman treatment.

However, the ministry has said that all foreign nationals legally residing and registered in Pakistan were beyond the purview of the plan.

“The Government of Pakistan takes its commitments towards the protection and safety needs of those in vulnerable situations with utmost seriousness. Our record of the last forty years in hosting millions of our Afghan brothers and sisters speaks for itself,” the spokesperson for the ministry of Foreign Affairs stated.

The ministry also urged the international community to scale up collective efforts to address protracted refugee situations through advancing durable solutions as a matter of priority. “Pakistan will continue to work with our international partners to this end.”

According to UNHCR, there are more than two million undocumented Afghans living in Pakistan, at least 600,000 of whom left Afghanistan after the Taliban takeover in August 2021.

The agency put civil society activists, journalists, human rights defenders, former government officials and security force members, and women at risk if returned to Afghanistan.