On Thursday, the Foreign Office (FO) said that the ongoing operation against illegal immigrants in the country was not targeted at any particular nationality.
FO Spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch made the remarks while responding to questions during her weekly press briefing in Islamabad, according to state-run Radio Pakistan.
On Tuesday, the caretaker government requested that all undocumented immigrants, including Afghan nationals, leave Pakistan by October 31 or risk imprisonment and deportation to their respective countries.
The decision was taken in an apex committee meeting headed by Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar and attended by the army chief, among others. The committee also decided that movement across the border would be subject to passports and visas, while electronic Afghan identity cards (or e-takers) would only be accepted until October 31.
After the passage of the deadline, the authorities will kickstart an operation targeting illegal properties and businesses owned by immigrants or those being run in collaboration with Pakistani nationals.
