Islamabad, Oct 12 : The Punjab province government has launched the third phase of deporting illegal Afghan nationals from Pakistan after identifying about 123 more such people and bringing them to holding centres for their deportation, local media reported on Sunday.

The Punjab government has said that it has already deported around 42,913 Afghan nationals since April 1, as part of Pakistan's Illegal Foreigner Repatriation Plan (IFRP), daily Dawn reported.

The provincial government is finding the Afghan nationals who do not have legal documents to stay in Pakistan or who have overstayed for over a year. The government still has 46 holding centres, which are operational in the province, including five in Lahore, which hold illegally staying Afghan nationals until they are sent to the Torkham Border for deportation to Afghanistan.

Punjab IGP Usman Anwar said that police in the province remain on high alert and ensure that illegally residing Afghan nationals are picked up for deportation as per international laws. He said that the Punjab Police has so far deported around 21,805 illegally residing Afghan nationals and other foreigners.

In September, Pakistan's federal government had denotified the last Afghan Refugee Camp in Mianwali, four similar camps in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and 10 camps in Balochistan.

Earlier this week, the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) expressed concern over Pakistan's plan to expel Afghan refugees from 16 villages in Balochistan, Punjab, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, warning that forced expulsion could lead to devastating humanitarian consequences, Afghan media reported.

Highlighting that Afghan refugees have lived in Pakistan for years and "built their lives, families, and communities here", UNHCR representative in Pakistan, Philippa Candler, has urged Pakistan to stop the deportations and ensure that the return of refugees takes place voluntarily and with dignity, Afghan news agency Khaama Press reported.

Candler said: "These expulsions could cause immense suffering for vulnerable families and undermine efforts to reintegrate them safely in Afghanistan." She urged Pakistan to carry out any repatriation process in phases, with full respect for human rights and humanitarian principles.

The UNHCR representative's statement came after the Pakistani government asked Afghan nationals in 16 villages to leave the country immediately, as part of their plan to deport undocumented migrants that started in 2023. Pakistani authorities have said that the campaign has been launched to address security concerns. However, the rights groups have called it a collective punishment.

The UN refugee agency also voiced concern over the forced return of Afghan women and girls, warning that they would face severe restrictions on education, employment and freedom of movement in Afghanistan under Taliban rule. The UNHCR urged Pakistan to allow Afghans who require medical care, higher education, or those in mixed marriages to stay there.

/IANS