A senior United Nations official has called on the international community to step up efforts to share responsibility for Afghan refugees, urging renewed focus on long-term solutions and the accelerated resettlement of Afghans from Pakistan to third countries.
Raouf Mazou, the UNHCR’s assistant high commissioner for operations, made the remarks on Friday during meetings with Pakistani officials in Islamabad, according to a report by Dawn newspaper.
Addressing members of the international community at the end of his visit, Mazou emphasized the need for “solutions and responsibility sharing,” including creating conditions conducive to sustainable voluntary returns to Afghanistan. He also called for new partnerships and innovative approaches to address the prolonged displacement crisis.
In Islamabad, Mazou met with Amir Muqam, minister for Kashmir, Gilgit-Baltistan and Safron affairs, as well as Ambassador Sadiq Khan, Pakistan’s special representative for Afghanistan. He also held discussions with senior officials from the ministries of interior and foreign affairs.
Mazou reaffirmed the UNHCR’s commitment to working with the Pakistani government to identify long-term solutions, while continuing support for host communities through targeted development programs.
The visit comes as Pakistan intensifies the second phase of its deportation campaign targeting Afghan migrants. The latest stage began on April 1, following a March 31 deadline for Afghan Citizen Card holders to voluntarily leave.
Talal Chaudhry, Pakistan’s minister of state for interior, confirmed that a new deadline of June 30 has been set for registered Afghan refugees, including Proof of Registration (PoR) card holders. Speaking to Geo News alongside a UN representative, Chaudhry said that formal deportations would begin after the deadline.
“Afghan refugees were and remain our guests,” Chaudhry said. “They are being sent back with full dignity and respect.”
Pakistan currently hosts more than 1.3 million registered Afghan refugees, along with hundreds of thousands of undocumented migrants. Humanitarian organizations have warned that Afghanistan’s fragile economy and overstretched services are ill-prepared to absorb the growing number of returnees.
