LAHORE: The repatriation of illegal Afghans from Pakistan continues as 235,821 people returned to Kabul during the countywide operation, officials said on Sunday.

The apex committee of the National Action Plan (NAP) in a meeting on October 3, chaired by Caretaker PM Anwaarul Haq Kakar gave a deadline to all foreign nationals living illegally in the country until October 31 to leave voluntarily or face deportation.

According to official data, 472 families have returned to Afghanistan in 236 vehicles during last 24 hours. The government of Pakistan is facilitating the illegal Afghans in the repatriation process at the Torkham and Chaman borders.

So far, 235,821 illegal Afghan nationals have returned to their country after the deadline for voluntarily returning expired on October 31. Earlier, Caretaker Interior Minister Sarfraz Ahmed Bugti rejected any ‘manhandling’ of illegal immigrants in Pakistan’s repatriation process.

“Prime Minister [Anwaarul Haq Kakar] has given very clear instructions that there should be no manhandling of illegal immigrants during the repatriation process,” the interior minister said while speaking on the Senate floor.

Sarfraz Bugti also assured the House that any mismanagement on the borders would be checked and suggestions from the political leadership in this regard would be welcomed. “No Afghan refugee having legal documents has been even touched,” he added