Since Islamabad last year ordered unauthorised migrants to leave or risk imprisonment as relations with Kabul worsened over security, nearly 600,000 Afghans have departed Pakistan.
Pakistan Extended the Stay Period for 1.45 Million Afghan Refugees by One Year
Since the Taliban regime gained power in August 2021, an estimated 600,000 people have arrived. (File)
Islamabad: Islamabad said on Wednesday that 1.45 million Afghan refugees in Pakistan will be permitted to remain for an additional year, but it vowed that the expulsion of unregistered migrants would go on.
Also Read Meet IIT-JEE topper with AIR 1, son of income tax officer!
Since Islamabad last year ordered unauthorised migrants to leave or risk imprisonment as relations with Kabul worsened over security, nearly 600,000 Afghans have departed Pakistan.
Human rights observers cautioned that individuals deported to Afghanistan under Taliban rule had minimal assistance and that some may risk persecution from the country’s new government in Kabul.
The cabinet of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced that it had granted the 1.45 million Afghan refugees who are lawfully staying in the nation and possess Proof of Registration cards an extension until June 2025.
Also Read 15 year old Boy kills Parents and Brother in Varanasi!
The cards’ validity expired at the end of the previous month, therefore the holders’ ability to stay in Pakistan legally is now uncertain.
Not every Afghan national living in Pakistan possesses one of these cards, and those who do have stories of being hounded and threatened to leave the nation.
The declaration was made by Islamabad the day after Filippo Grandi, the UNHCR’s high commissioner for refugees, paid the city a three-day visit.
The UNHCR said in a statement on Tuesday that Grandi “expressed appreciation that the ‘Illegal Foreigners Repatriation Plan’ had been suspended”.
A representative for the foreign office refuted this, saying it is untrue.
In a statement, Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said that the programme “remains in place and is being implemented in an orderly and phased manner” and that “no such understanding has been given by Pakistan to the UNHCR”
Meanwhile, an immigration official from Pakistan stated that they had started confiscating documentation, such as refugee registration cards, from Afghans who were leaving the country at the Torkham border crossing.
Also Read India vs Zimbabwe 3rd T20I: Myers, Clive at Crease, 67/5!
“We are implementing this directive following instructions from the Ministry of Interior,” said the official at the busiest crossing between Pakistan and Afghanistan.
“This measure aims to ensure they do not return to Pakistan and instead depart permanently, though they may re-enter after obtaining a visa,” he told AFP on condition of anonymity.
Millions of Afghans have poured into Pakistan over the years, fleeing decades of cascading conflict.
An estimated 600,000 arrived since the Taliban government seized power in August 2021 and imposed its stark interpretation of Islamic law.
Islamabad has previously said its massive eviction scheme is justified by security concerns and its faltering economy.
Analysts say it is pressuring Kabul over rising attacks in Pakistan’s border regions with Afghanistan, where the Taliban government is accused of giving militants safe haven.
Stay Connected With us: Siasatpro.com
Recent Comments