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Pakistan asks illegal foreigners, Afghan Citizen Card holders to leave by March 31
Pakistan’s interior ministry on Friday asked all “illegal foreigners” and Afghan Citizen Card holders to leave the country before March 31, warning they would otherwise be deported from April 1.
Islamabad has in the past blamed militant attacks and crimes on Afghan citizens, who form the largest portion of migrants in the country. Kabul has rejected the accusations.
“Pakistan has been a gracious host and continues to fulfil its commitments and obligations as a responsible state,” the country’s interior ministry said in a statement, Reuters reported. “It is reiterated that individuals staying in Pakistan will have to fulfil all legal formalities.”
Pakistan launched its repatriation drive of foreign citizens, most of whom are Afghan, in 2023, but had said they were first focusing on foreigners with no legal documentation.
More than 800,000 Afghans hold an Afghan Citizen Card in Pakistan, according to U.N. data. Another roughly 1.3 million are formally registered with the Pakistan government and hold a separate Proof of Residence card. The statement did not specify how PoR holders would be affected.
The U.N. says that more than 800,000 Afghans have returned to Afghanistan from Pakistan since the repatriation drive began and that in total Pakistan hosted around 2.8 million Afghan refugees who crossed the border during 40 years of conflict in their homeland.
Among those are tens of thousands of Afghans in the process for resettlement to the United States and other Western nations following their withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021 as the Islamic Emirate took over.
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Afghanistan’s Embassy in Tokyo to suspend operations
The Embassy of Afghanistan in Japan, currently run by diplomats of the previous government, has announced that it will suspend its operations in Tokyo after the end of January 2026.
In a statement issued on Friday, the embassy said the decision was made after consultations with Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in close coordination with Japanese authorities, and in accordance with the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.
The embassy added that after January 31, all of its political, economic, cultural, and consular activities will be halted until further notice.
Currently, Shaida Abdali is serving as Afghanistan’s ambassador to Japan.
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Turkish Chargé d’Affaires in Kabul meets Zakir Jalali, discusses bilateral ties
Sadin Ayyıldız, Chargé d’Affaires of the Turkish Embassy in Kabul, held a courtesy meeting with Zakir Jalali, the Second Political Deputy of Afghanistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, on the occasion of the start of his mission.
The Turkish Embassy in Kabul said in a post that the meeting included mutual exchanges of views on bilateral relations.
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