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Pakistan to issue smart cards to over 1.4 million Afghan refugees
The Government of Pakistan, with the support of UNHCR, has launched a nationwide verification exercise for 1.4 million Afghan refugees during which new smartcards will be issued.
The Documentation Renewal and Information Verification Exercise, or DRIVE for short, was inaugurated at a ribbon-cutting ceremony in Islamabad by the Federal Minister for SAFRON, His Excellency Mehboob Sultan. The UNHCR Representative, Noriko Yoshida, and the Chief Commissioner for Afghan Refugees, Saleem Khan, were also present on the occasion.
During the six-month exercise, registered Afghan refugees who currently hold Proof of Registration (POR) cards will be provided with new smart cards.
“The DRIVE exercise is a leap forward for everyone,” Yoshida said, welcoming its launch. “This step will allow refugees to have better, faster, and safer access to services, including schools, hospitals, and banks.”
Yoshida added that in addition to verifying existing data, the exercise will record Afghan refugees’ skill sets, level of education, socio-economic circumstances, allowing better-targeted health, education, and livelihood support in Pakistan and Afghanistan.
“Pakistan has been hosting Afghan refugees for four decades, and a lot has changed since the last verification exercise 10 years ago. It’s crucial that we update the data of Afghan refugees to understand their situation better,” said the Federal Minister for SAFRON.
Sultan added, “As the country hosting one of the most protracted refugee situations in the world, Pakistan has strived to play its part in assisting and protecting refugees. It’s important the international community also continue to come forward, and share the responsibility and help find solutions.”
The Federal Minister for SAFRON urged POR cardholders to participate fully in this exercise. He also requested that they take all precautionary measures and observe COVID-19 protocols.
Six hundred male and female staff – a combination of government and UNHCR – will be working at some 35 DRIVE verification sites around the country, and using mobile registration vehicles, to support refugees throughout the exercise.
Measures are in place at all DRIVE sites to mitigate COVID-19 risks through enhanced hygiene, physical distancing, and the scheduling of set numbers of appointments each day.
Noor Jalal Jalali, Afghanistan’s Minister of Public Health, is likely to visit India next week, Indian newspaper Tribune reported.
Jalali will be the third minister from the Islamic Emirate to visit India, following Amir Khan Muttaqi, Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Nooruddin Azizi, Minister of Industry and Commerce.
The visit comes as health cooperation between the two countries expands. New Delhi is currently supporting major medical infrastructure projects in Afghanistan and supplying medicines and vaccines to strengthen public health services.
Although India does not formally recognize the Islamic Emirate, it has recently sought to deepen its engagement with Kabul.
Pakistan’s Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry on Friday met with UK’s Minister of State for International Development and Africa, Baroness Chapman of Darlington, to discuss a range of issues, including the relocation of Afghan nationals to the United Kingdom.
According to a press release from Pakistan’s Ministry of State for Interior, Baroness Chapman welcomed and commended Pakistan’s initiatives in facilitating migration cooperation between the two countries.
The officials also held talks on security matters.
Maulawi Abdul Kabir, Afghanistan’s Minister of Refugees and Repatriation, has stressed that Afghan refugees are not a burden on host countries, but rather make meaningful economic contributions.
Speaking at a graduation ceremony at a religious school in Paktia, he said that any assistance provided by host countries to Afghan refugees in the past was driven by their own interests.
“Afghans earn their own livelihoods; they own factories and shops,” he said. “No country in the world can claim that Afghans are a burden. Did Afghans go door to door asking for handouts? Did they engage in theft? Host countries collect taxes from Afghans and use that revenue to develop their own economies.”
Maulawi Abdul Kabir urged Afghan migrants to return home and resume their economic activities freely.
“We call on investors abroad: if you are living without dignity, return and invest in Afghanistan willingly,” he said. “Rehabilitate land, expand agriculture, create jobs for the people, and help make wheat cheaper.”
His remarks come amid ongoing calls by some neighboring countries for the return of Afghan migrants, often portraying them as a burden on host societies.
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