Pakistan’s federal cabinet on Wednesday agreed to extend the stay of 1.3 million registered Afghan refugees by one year. The current Proof of Residence (PoR) cards expired on June 30.
This comes after Fillipo Grandi, the head of the UN High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR), met early this week with Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif for talks on the situation.
Shehbaz told Grandi that only 9,000 out of 70,000 Afghans — who had worked for the US and allies before the collapse of the former government — had been sent to a third country over the past three years.
Grandi in turn appealed to Shehbaz to extend the suspension of the repatriation campaign.
Grandi also called for extra efforts to finding longer-term solutions for Afghans in Pakistan, and support for their host communities.
UNHCR official seeks urgent reset of aid model, timely extension of PoR card; promises to pave way for voluntary returns
During his three-day visit, Grandi visited Peshawar and Haripur in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, meeting Afghan refugees in urban settings as well as in a refugee village. People he met shared a message of anxiety regarding their situation, but also of their desire to contribute to their communities in Pakistan, as well as eventually in Afghanistan.
