Afghan refugees can stay for one more year in Pakistan after the government decides to extend the validity of registration cards.
According to Al Jazeera, the extension decision came after senior UN official Filippo Grandi, chief of the United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR), urged the country to stop its deportation plan during his visit earlier this week.
The prime minister’s office said in a statement after the conclusion of a cabinet meeting on Wednesday, July 10, “The federal cabinet approved a one-year extension of the validity of POR (Proof of Registration) cards for 1.45 million Afghan refugees. Their PoR cards have been expired on June 30, 2024. The extension has been granted until June 30, 2025.”
Moreover, Pakistan gave asylum to Afghan refugees after the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979. As per the government, the country is currently hosting nearly three million Afghans, of these 2.4 million have legal documentation.
Among the legal refugees, 1.5 million hold a UNHCR Proof of Residence card, while 800,000 possess an Afghan Citizenship Card (ACC).
Pakistan, in November 2023, began the first phase of deporting Afghan refugees, in which about 541,000 were forced to leave the country.
