Pakistan announced today that it will extend the stay of 1.45 million Afghan refugees who are legally in the country, one day after the visit of the UN refugee agency (UNHCR)
According to a statement from the office of Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Afghan refugees with appropriate documentation can remain in the country until June 30, 2025.
On Tuesday, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi urged Pakistani authorities to extend the validity of registration cards - essential identity documents.
The previous extension issued by the Pakistani Government ended on June 30, which caused great uncertainty and fear of repatriation among refugees.
The decision released today follows a highly criticized crackdown on immigrants that began last year and targeted all people without valid documents, regardless of their nationality, forcing around 600,000 Afghans to return home.
This repression may have been suspended, without there having been an official explanation, but at the end of his three-day visit, in which he met with Afghan refugees and Pakistani officials, Grandi expressed his appreciation for the fact that the repatriation of undocumented people had been suspended.
United Nations agencies have condemned the forced expulsion of Afghans from Pakistan, saying it could lead to serious human rights violations such as the separation of families and the deportation of minors.
Although Pakistan has been systematically deporting Afghans who arrived in the country without valid documents, the current crackdown is unprecedented in terms of scale.
Pakistan has long been home to some 1.7 million Afghans, most of whom fled during the Soviet occupation of their country in 1979-1989. More than half a million others fled after the Taliban took power in 2021, with thousands awaiting resettlement in the United States and other countries.
Undocumented Afghans are separated from refugees who are registered with authorities and UNHCR, although the crackdown has raised concerns among refugee communities as well.
