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Pakistani PM says Afghan refugees are treated with ‘exemplary respect and dignity’
Sharif urged the international community to “recognize the burden being shouldered by Pakistan while hosting such a large refugee population and demonstrate collective responsibility.”
Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shabaz Sharif told the UN refugee agency chief on Tuesday that Afghan refugees are treated with “exemplary respect and dignity” despite Pakistan facing multiple challenges.
According to a statement released by his office, Sharif urged the international community to “recognize the burden being shouldered by Pakistan while hosting such a large refugee population and demonstrate collective responsibility.”
He also asked for help from UNHCR to repatriate the refugees in “a safe and dignified” manner.
Meanwhile, on Tuesday, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, met with Asif Durrani, Pakistan’s special representative for Afghanistan.
Durrani wrote on X that the two sides “expressed readiness to find a durable solution to the Afghan refugee problem, including their repatriation”.
An estimated 600,000 Afghans have returned home after Pakistan started crackdown on undocumented refugees in November last year.
UN agencies have decried the forced expulsion of Afghans from Pakistan, saying it could lead to severe human rights violations.
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