Pakistan sets up deportation centers to hold migrants; Details inside

The Islamic Republic of Pakistan will set up deportation centers to hold migrants in the country. It is the latest development in a Pakistani government crackdown to expel illegal migrants who enter the country without registration or documents.

The deportation centers are for migrants who are living in the country illegally. Anyone found staying in the country illegally from next Wednesday will be sent to these deportation centers.

On Thursday, the Pakistani officials said that the deportation centers would be established for migrants living in the country illegally, including an estimated 1.7 million Afghanistan migrants. 

How many deportation centers will be established?

Three deportation centers will be established in southwestern Pakistan’s Baluchistan province, including one in Quetta, the provincial capital. Three deportation centers will be established in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. The deportation centers will conduct deportation proceedings to determine whether the migrants will be deported or allowed to remain in Pakistan. 

What can migrants expect?

Migrants, including Afghanistan migrants, who are living in the country illegally must leave Pakistan before the Tuesday deadline to avoid arrest. From next Wednesday, migrants will be arrested and sent to the deportation centers. 

Over 60,000 Afghans had returned home since the crackdown was announced by the Pakistani authorities. Pakistan’s caretaker Interior Minister Sarfraz Bugti said that there would not be a deadline extension for illegal migrants.

If migrants fail to get authorization, they will be sent to the deportation center. However, they will get food and medical care until their deportations. They will be given a maximum of 50,000 Pakistani rupees ($180).

In the southwest Pakistani border town of Chaman, tens of thousands of people protested the crackdown on migrants by the Pakistani authorities. The protesters also included Afghanistan migrants.

Last month, the EU launched a new project to protect migrants in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. The EU’s project to protect migrant workers in Pakistan was a glimmer of hope for them. The project would also help to prevent irregular migration, trafficking in human beings and smuggling of migrants.

The new EU project titled ‘Improving Migration Management and Migrant Protection’ aims to contribute to migrant protection in Pakistan. The EU also pledged to stop illegal migration along the ancient Silk Route.