Peshawar, Apr 12 (PTI) Pakistan on Saturday deported over 3,000 Afghan refugees through the Torkham border in the country's northwest, officials said.

According to Additional Deputy Commissioner Khyber District Irshad Khan Mohmand, the deportation process of illegal foreign residents is underway.

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Pakistan announced in January that all Afghan Citizen Card (ACC) holders should leave the country by March 31 or face deportation. Authorities launched a drive on April 1 to expel those falling into the category.

On Saturday, 3,514 foreigners arrested from different parts of the Punjab province were deported through the Torkham border.

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As many as 756 illegal foreign nationals arrested from various cities in Punjab were directly transferred to Torkham, while 59 detained foreigners from the Peshawar Juma Khan transit camp were also deported via the Torkham border.

Meanwhile, legal formalities were completed for foreign families who arrived voluntarily at the Landi Kotal transit camp, where 2,758 undocumented foreign nationals turned themselves in, Irshad said.

He added that among those arriving at the transit camp, 1,561 individuals were residing without documents, while 1,197 were ACC holders.

According to officials, 33,258 illegal foreign nationals have been deported since April 1.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)