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Pakistan’s president: Hosting Afghan refugees deeply impacted our economy
Pakistani President Arif Alvi said his country has carried a huge burden in hosting Afghans for nearly four decades.
In an interview with VOA Urdu, Alvi defended Islamabad’s decision to expel Afghans living in Pakistan without proper documents.
He said giving refuge to citizens of the neighboring country had deeply affected his own country’s economy.
“I think that it’s a huge burden for Pakistan. We have given refuge to 3.5 million people for 30, 40 years. They are our Afghan, Muslim brothers, and this deeply impacted our economy, our livelihood. Because when all of these people got jobs, Pakistan’s workforce is 80 to 100 million, and out of those, 3.5 million are Afghans.”
Alvi also said that hosting Afghan refugees affected Pakistan’s culture.
“It is said that the Kalashnikov culture here increased with the presence of Afghans,” Alvi said, referring to the mass inflow of weapons into Pakistan in the aftermath of the Soviet war in Afghanistan nearly three decades ago.
Citing security concerns, Pakistan in early October ordered people of all nationalities residing illegally in the country to leave voluntarily or face a crackdown after November 1. Since then, over 300,000 Afghans have left the country.
Alvi complained that the international community had not provided Pakistan with sufficient support to host one of the world’s largest refugee populations.
“The world makes promises to cooperate when refugees arrive, but nobody has given any cooperation,” he said.
Islamabad accuses the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) of providing a haven to the banned militant outfit Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, responsible for many of the attacks in Pakistan. IEA, however, deny the charge and say Pakistan is blaming them for its internal “failure.”
Sources told Ariana News that a cabinet meeting of Afghanistan’s Islamic Emirate was held last Wednesday in Kandahar under the leadership of Sheikh Hibatullah Akhundzada, the leader of the Islamic Emirate.
According to the sources, Mullah Mohammad Hassan Akhund, Prime Minister of the Islamic Emirate, along with a large number of cabinet members, also attended the meeting.
Sources added that key issues related to the country were discussed and reviewed during the meeting.
Abdul Baqi Haqqani, head of the National Examinations Authority, announced on Friday that the fourth and final round of the university entrance examination (Kankor), in which 120,000 candidates participated, has concluded in a transparent manner.
He added that this was an important and valuable step for the country’s academic process, which was successfully implemented by the National Examinations Authority through precise planning, organized management, and joint efforts.
This year’s Kankor examination organized in four stages. In the first stage, graduates from 15 provinces participated; in the second stage, graduates from 18 provinces were included; and in the third stage, 12th-grade graduates from Kabul province took part.
In the final stage, absentees from previous stages, graduates from abroad, graduates of ethnic and tribal studies, graduates of religious schools in Kabul province, 14th-grade graduates, and night faculty applicants were included. This examination was held today (Friday).
The Belgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has confirmed receipt of a list of members of an Islamic Emirate delegation scheduled to travel to Brussels, with security screening for visa issuance now underway.
The delegation is expected to hold talks with the European Union focused on the return of Afghan migrants.
EU Commissioner for Home Affairs Magnus Brunner has described the visa process for Islamic Emirate officials as “somewhat complicated,” while stressing the need for constructive dialogue with the authorities in Kabul to address migration-related challenges.
Political analyst Ghous Janbaz said European countries are interested in engaging directly with Islamic Emirate representatives, including on the return of Afghan migrants who have allegedly committed crimes in Europe.
The development comes amid growing pressure on Afghan migrants across Europe in recent years, with countries such as Germany and Austria reportedly taking steps toward deporting some Afghan asylum seekers.
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