Pakistan halts repatriation of Afghan refugees
Pakistan has halted the repatriation of Afghan refugees, the United Nation refugee agency chief Filippo Grandi said Tuesday after meeting with Premier Shehbaz Sharif in the capital Islamabad.
Grandi expressed gratitude for the suspension of the "Illegal Foreigners Repatriation Plan" and requested assurances that the plan would remain on hold, as stated by the UN High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR).
Concluding his three-day visit to Pakistan, Grandi emphasized the importance of maintaining Pakistan’s "proud tradition" of providing hospitality to Afghans with ongoing international protection needs.
In October of last year, Pakistan announced the repatriation of Afghan refugees residing illegally within the country. According to statistics from the Interior Ministry, over 500,000 Afghan refugees have returned to Afghanistan so far.
UN data indicates that approximately 1.3 million Afghans hold registered refugee status in Pakistan, with an additional 880,000 having legal permission to stay.
Pakistani officials estimate that around 700,000 Afghans seeking asylum have entered Pakistan since the Taliban's takeover in August 2021. However, only 75,000 of these individuals have relocated to other countries.
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