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Pakistan ends ‘drive’ to issue smartcards to registered Afghan refugees
The Pakistan government has concluded its country-wide campaign to verify and update the data of an estimated 1.4 million registered Afghan refugees and to issue them with smart identity cards, UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, said Sunday.
Following a short pilot, the campaign, supported by UNHCR, began on 15 April 2021 and ended on 31 December 2021. It was the first large-scale verification of refugees in Pakistan in the last 10 years.
According to early provisional results, the data of 1.25 million Afghan refugees was updated and expanded as a result of the campaign, officially known as the documentation renewal and information verification exercise (DRIVE).
Among them were 200,000 children under the age of five who were registered by their refugee parents.
More than 700,000 new smart identity cards have also been issued to date. The remaining cards will be printed and distributed in early 2022.
These cards, which will be valid until 30 June 2023, contain biometric data and are technologically compatible with systems used in Pakistan to authenticate the identities of nationals.
The new smart identity cards are an essential protection tool for Afghan refugees and give them faster and safer access to health and education facilities and to banking services, UNHCR said in a statement.
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Afghanistan rejects Pakistan’s allegations as ‘baseless’
The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan has rejected recent accusations by Pakistani officials claiming that attacks inside Pakistan were planned from Afghan territory, describing the allegations as “baseless.”
Hamdullah Fitrat, Deputy Spokesperson of the Islamic Emirate, said Afghanistan believes regional issues should be addressed through dialogue, mutual respect, and genuine cooperation rather than accusations, emotional rhetoric, or threats.
He reaffirmed that Afghan territory would not be used against any country and stressed that no group or individual would be allowed to carry out activities that threaten regional peace and stability.
The remarks came after Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry reportedly summoned Afghanistan’s Chargé d’Affaires in Islamabad on Monday and handed over a formal protest note regarding an attack on a police post in Bannu district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
Pakistani authorities alleged that the attack had been planned from inside Afghanistan.
According to reports, the explosion occurred on Saturday evening in the Fathkhel area of Bannu, killing 15 police officers and injuring four others, including one civilian.
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UNAMA reports hundreds of civilian casualties in Pakistan-linked violence across Afghanistan
The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) has reported that nearly 800 civilians were killed or wounded during the first three months of 2026 in attacks and clashes linked to tensions between Afghanistan and Pakistan.
According to the report, 95 security-related incidents were recorded between January and March along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border areas. The highest number of casualties was reported in Kabul, Kunar, and Paktika provinces, with women and children among those affected.
UNAMA stated that more than 750 civilian casualties occurred during armed confrontations involving Afghan security forces and Pakistani military forces. The report noted that 64 percent of the casualties were caused by airstrikes, while 35 percent resulted from rocket attacks.
The UN mission also said that approximately 94,000 people, including over 13,000 families, were displaced by the violence. Homes, schools, mosques, and other civilian properties were reportedly damaged during the clashes.
Among the deadliest incidents highlighted in the report was the March 2026 airstrike on a drug treatment center in Kabul.
UNAMA urged Pakistan to adhere to international humanitarian law and avoid targeting civilian-populated areas during military operations.
Meanwhile, Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari said militant attacks inside Pakistan were being conducted through Afghan territory with Indian support. He called for an end to militancy in Pakistan and urged Afghanistan not to allow its soil to be used for attacks against neighboring countries.
The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan has repeatedly rejected such allegations, describing them as baseless and insisting that Afghan territory will not be used against any country. Afghan officials have also argued that insecurity in Pakistan remains an internal issue for Islamabad.
The latest developments come amid ongoing regional tensions and growing concerns over cross-border violence between Afghanistan and Pakistan.
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Floods in Nuristan kill dozens of livestock following heavy rain and hail
Residents said the storms and hail have caused serious damage to their livestock, worsening economic hardships for many families in the area.
Heavy rainfall and hailstorms in Kamdesh district of Nuristan province have caused severe flooding, killing dozens of livestock and leaving local families facing major financial losses, provincial officials said.
According to the Nuristan provincial media office, floods swept through Nangal village, killing around 70 animals, including cows, calves, goats, and sheep.
Residents said the storms and hail have caused serious damage to their livestock, worsening economic hardships for many families in the area. They have urged government authorities and aid organizations to provide urgent assistance.
The Nuristan provincial administration expressed concern over the incident, stating that relevant departments would assess the damage and take necessary steps to support affected households.
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