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In 2021, Pakistan saw an exodus of Afghans who left their country after the NATO-backed Afghan government crumbled and the Taliban entered Kabul. read more
 "44,000 Afghans wait for relocation from Pakistan to Western nations")
Foreign Office spokeswoman Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said that at least 44,000 Afghans approved for relocation to Western nations are still in Pakistan.
Pakistan is currently hosting at least 44,000 Afghan nationals who have been approved and accepted for relocation by Western nations to prevent reprisals from the Taliban, Foreign Office spokeswoman Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said on Thursday,
In 2021, Pakistan witnessed a significant exodus of Afghans fleeing their country following the collapse of the NATO-backed Afghan government and the Taliban’s takeover of Kabul.
Baloch said that at least 44,000 Afghans approved for relocation to Western nations are still in Pakistan.
She said that 25,000 Afghans were approved for relocation to the US, 9,000 Afghan nationals accepted for relocation by Australia, 6,000 by Canada, 3,000 by Germany, and over 1,000 by the UK, but were still living in Pakistan.
Baloch said they were all yet to be relocated despite the lapse of almost three years since the NATO-backed Afghan government crumbled and the Taliban entered Kabul, triggering a painful exodus by Afghans who felt threatened by the new regime.
“We have urged them to expedite the approval and visa issuance process for these countries, for these individuals, so that they are relocated as early as possible,” Baloch said.
Initially, Pakistan allowed the fleeing Afghans to enter without any hindrance. However, relations with the interim Kabul government gradually deteriorated over the issue of Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militants using Afghan soil to attack Pakistan.
Last year, Pakistan launched a crackdown on illegal aliens, mostly Afghans, and so far, over half a million are reported to have gone back to Afghanistan.
The Pakistan government on Wednesday granted a one-year extension to registered Afghan refugees till June 30 next year, a respite for Afghan nationals living legally in the country who were facing deportation.
The decision comes a day after the visiting United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) Filippo Grandi met Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
“The federal cabinet approved a one-year extension of the validity of PoR (Proof of Registration) cards of 1.45 million Afghan refugees. Their PoR cards have been expired on June 30, 2024. The extension has been granted until June 30, 2025,” the Prime Minister’s Office said in a statement.
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English (US) ·