Islamabad, May 15 -- Approximately 1.3 million Afghan refugees have been repatriated by the Pakistan government in a deportation drive launched since November 2023, Parliamentary Secretary Mukhtar Ahmad Malik said on Wednesday, The Express Tribune reported.

The Pakistan government initially said that it was focusing on expelling foreigners without legal documentation and that other categories, like the Afghan Citizen Card (ACC)--a document launched in 2017 to provide temporary legal status to Afghan refugees--would be included later.

In response to a question raised by lawmaker Anjum Aqeel Khan during a parliamentary session, Malik said around 3 million Afghan refugees were staying in Pakistan., The Express Tribune reported.

Malik furt...