More than 500,000 illegal immigrants have been repatriated so far under the government’s deportation drive against illegal aliens, the interior ministry informed the Senate on Tuesday.

In October, the government had given an ultimatum to all undocumented immigrants to leave Pakistan by Oct 31 or else, risk imprisonment and deportation to their respective countries.

After the deadline lapsed, the caretaker government formally initiated a nationwide campaign to expel illegal foreign nationals, the majority of whom are Afghans. While the move had prompted criticism from Afghanistan and human rights groups, the government refused to budge, insisting that it was not aimed at any particular ethnic group.

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In a written reply submitted to the Senate today, the interior ministry elaborated on the number of deportations. The reply was submitted in response to a question by Senator Mohsin Aziz on the number of illegal residents in the country as well as the number of those deported.

“Around 1.7 million illegal aliens are unlawfully living in the country, the majority of whom are Afghans. They are living without any legal documentation necessary for staying in the country. 541,210 people have been sent back after the cabinet’s approval of the deportation plan for illegal residents,” the ministry said, adding that close to 1.15m were still residing in the country.

The ministry said that continuous efforts were under way to identify and deport the remaining people. It further said that 271,985 people were repatriated via Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and 159,161 through Balochistan.

It added that according to data from other systems such as the Integrated Border Management System, a further 110,064 had also left the country.

An advocacy group and Afghan applicants say the government’s deportation drive has forcibly repatriated scores of Afghans awaiting resettlement in the United States while also alleging that authorities often ignored US embassy letters of protection.