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UNHCR, Afghan envoy in Islamabad discuss refugee repatriation challenges
Both sides emphasized the need for additional time to enable refugees to move their belongings and return voluntarily and with dignity.
Philippa Candler, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Representative in Pakistan, met with Afghan Ambassador Sardar Ahmad Shakeeb in Islamabad to discuss the pressing challenges faced by Afghan refugees amid ongoing repatriation efforts.
The discussions focused on the situation of Afghan nationals living in Pakistan and the risks posed by potential forced deportations.
Both sides emphasized the need for additional time to enable refugees to move their belongings and return voluntarily and with dignity.
Particular concern was raised for vulnerable groups such as families of mixed nationality, students, and individuals with serious medical conditions, with both parties warning that sudden expulsions could lead to family separations and disrupt access to education and healthcare.
Shakeeb called for practical measures to ease the return process, including the opening of more border crossing points between Afghanistan and Pakistan, expanding the number of Voluntary Repatriation Centers (VRCs), and deploying mobile teams to refugee camps.
He also urged Pakistani authorities to consider waiving the requirement for Proof of Registration (PoR) cards, which remains a barrier for many Afghan families seeking to repatriate.
The meeting comes as hundreds of thousands of Afghans in Pakistan face uncertainty over their legal status, with humanitarian organizations warning that large-scale forced returns could strain Afghanistan’s already fragile economy and overburden its social services.
Seven Afghan migrants have been killed after a vehicle carrying Afghan migrants collided with a fuel-carrying vehicle in Iran’s Sistan and Baluchestan province.
According to the human rights organization HalVash, the accident occurred on Friday in the Sarbaz area of Sistan and Baluchestan.
Siyavash Mohbi, the head of Iran’s traffic police in Sistan and Baluchestan, said the Afghan nationals had entered Iran illegally.
He added that nine other people were injured in the incident.
Mohbi attributed the accident to the negligence of the driver of the vehicle carrying the migrants.
The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) has announced that its Contact Group on Afghanistan will meet on the sidelines of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
OIC Secretary-General Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed is leading a high-level delegation from the organization’s General Secretariat to participate in the UN General Assembly’s High-Level Week and hold bilateral meetings with heads of delegations from member states as well as senior UN and international officials.
The OIC will also convene its Annual Coordination Meeting of Member States’ Foreign Ministers at UN Headquarters.
According to the organization, several ministerial contact groups and specialized committees will meet on the sidelines of the General Assembly. These include groups focusing on Palestine, Muslim communities and minorities, regional issues in Europe, Jammu and Kashmir, Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar, and Afghanistan.
The OIC did not provide a specific date for the Afghanistan Contact Group meeting.
Ahmad Jan Bilal, General Director of State-Owned Corporations, met with Iran’s Oil Minister Mohsen Paknejad during a visit to Iran to discuss expanding cooperation in the oil and gas sector.
Bilal, accompanied by Mohammad Nasir Rahimi, chief executive of the Afghan state-owned Oil and Gas Corporation, held talks with the Iranian minister on supplying Afghanistan with its oil and gas needs, technical and vocational training, and joint cooperation in oil and gas exploration.
Bilal and his delegation also visited the Iranian Oil Ministry’s research center and oil refineries in Tehran, where they reviewed the facilities’ technical and professional activities and capabilities.
The Iranian side expressed readiness for comprehensive cooperation, necessary coordination and implementation of joint projects in the areas discussed.
At the end of the meeting, both sides introduced joint technical teams tasked with coordinating and following up on the necessary measures to implement the agreed areas of cooperation.
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