Interim Minister Sarfraz Bugti contends that the government’s announcement was misinterpreted with the wrong message delivered and that it was for all illegal residents.  He also said that there was no ethnic element to the issue and that there was no need for diplomatic intervention, adding, “Nor is there any need for it.”

On 25th October 2023, at a hearing before the Senate Standing Committee, Pakistan’s Interim Interior Minister Sarfraz Bugti stated that the government’s message on taking action against illegal residents had been misunderstood. The deportation campaign was aimed at all individuals living illegally in the country, not just Afghans.

Previously (October 3, 2023), the interim administration declared that if the situation did not improve, all law enforcement agencies would deport people living unlawfully in the country. Surprisingly, Bugti had said then that 1.73 million unregistered illegal Afghans were living in the country. Furthermore, to make matters worse, the State media then subsequently reported that the decision to evict foreigners living illegally was because of their involvement in funding and facilitating terrorists and other illegal activities.

This statement provoked outrage from various local and international agencies, with many assuming it was directed solely towards Afghan refugees.

On the other hand, Bugti, now contends that the government’s announcement was misinterpreted with the wrong message delivered. This latest announcement comes as the government’s deadline for illegal immigrants to leave Pakistan on October 31, 2023 approaches.

Following are the key points he made in his speech:

•  “We were talking about deporting illegal residents but it was conveyed through our announcement [as if] we are only deporting Afghans. The government’s message was not just for the Afghans. The announcement was for all illegal residents.”
• “Anyone who had a refugee card or a visa was “our guest”, adding that the government was also similarly deporting illegal entrants coming from Iran belonging to the Baloch community.”
• “The perception is being given that this is an ethnic issue,” Bugti said and rebuffed any such notion, reiterating that the matter at hand was only about deporting illegal residents from the country.
• “No country in the world allowed someone to come and begin living there illegally.”

Later, when reporters inquired about a deadline extension, Bugti stated that there was no such proposal in effect at the time. Moreover, he said, “Our goal is to have a one-document regime in place by November 1.” “Anyone traveling to Pakistan will bring a passport,” and that the government had devised a staged approach to expel individuals living unlawfully in the country.

He also reaffirmed that there was no ethnic element to the issue and that there was no need for diplomatic intervention, adding, “nor is there any need for it.”

Similarly, other politicians supported his claim, including retired Brig Haris Nawaz of Sindh, who stated that the impression that the operation was only against those from one country was incorrect and that the crackdown was against all foreigners who were illegally residing in the country. Balochistan Information Minister Jan Achakzai also cautioned political parties not to patronize illegal immigrants living in the nation, adding that anyone who did so was acting against the state.