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2.9 million Afghan nationals residing in Pakistan
The Chief Commissioner for Afghan refugees said 1.4 million Afghans are registered and 700,000 are unregistered
Pakistan’s Standing Committee on States and Frontier Regions (SAFRON) heard this week that currently about 2.9 million Afghan nationals are living in Pakistan.
Addressing the committee, the Chief Commissioner for Afghan refugees said 1.4 million Afghans are registered and 700,000 are unregistered.
He also briefed the committee on humanitarian assistance currently being given to Afghan refugees in Pakistan, which includes, shelter, food, water, sanitation, education, and healthcare.
The commissioner said however that Refugee Affected and Hosting Areas Programme (RAHA) development projects were stopped last year due to a lack of funding.
Senators Saadia Abbasi and Syed Masroor Ahsan in turn called for international support to help Pakistan cope with the Afghan refugee situation, local media reported.
Pakistan deports over 140 Afghan refugees
After stepping up efforts to deport Afghan refugees from Pakistan, the country’s ministry of refugees affairs that it had recently handed over 141 Afghan refugees, including women and children, to Afghanistan immigration authorities at Torkham border.
Bakht Jamal Gawohar, responsible for the transfer of Afghan refugees at Torkham crossing in Nangarhar Province, confirmed that this number of refugees has been handed over to this office. The prisoners include men, women and children.
Local media reports say this is the first time Pakistani authorities have sent Afghan prisoners en masse to Afghanistan on such a large scale.
According to him, most of these people were released from Islamabad prisons, where their imprisonment period was between 5 and 10 days.
Zalmay Khalilzad, the former US special representative for Afghanistan, has questioned Pakistan’s commitment to the welfare of the Afghan people, citing Islamabad’s policies over the past three decades.
Khalilzad said in a post on X that Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif advocated for the rights of Afghan women during his speech at the UN General Assembly on Friday.
Sharif said: “Fundamental rights of the Afghan people — especially women and girls — must be respected.”
Responding to the remarks, Khalilzad said Pakistan’s policies over the past 30 years raise questions about Sharif’s commitment to Afghan welfare.
He cited Pakistan’s support for militant groups against US forces and what he described as the poor treatment of Afghan refugees as examples.
Khalilzad also said Afghanistan and Pakistan need and should have much better relations, adding that “a reset is necessary.”
India’s Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri met with the UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Afghanistan, Rabab Fatima, on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly.
Indian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in a post on X that Misri underscored the need to keep addressing the humanitarian needs of the Afghan people as a priority.
Misri also appreciated the role of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) and reaffirmed India’s continued cooperation with the United Nations on Afghanistan.
The meeting comes as Afghanistan continues to face humanitarian and economic challenges, with international agencies warning of significant needs among the Afghan population.
Kazakhstan’s Foreign Minister Mukhtar Tileuberdi has called for pragmatic and coordinated international engagement with Afghanistan, saying the country’s long-term stability is closely linked to the security and sustainable development of Central Asia.
Speaking during the general debate of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Friday, Tileuberdi said humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan remains essential but alone cannot break the cycle of poverty, displacement and dependency.
He said Kazakhstan supports a “pragmatic, coordinated and step-by-step” approach to international engagement with Afghanistan, with the United Nations playing a central role.
Tileuberdi also said Kazakhstan is working with the UN to operationalize the United Nations Regional Centre for the Sustainable Development Goals for Central Asia and Afghanistan in Almaty.
He said the success of the centre should be measured by the results and assistance it delivers to the region.
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