Pakistani media has reported a significant increase in the number of refugees from Afghanistan seeking shelter in Pakistan following the collapse of Kabul to the Taliban in August 2021.
Around 600,000 refugees have crossed into Pakistan in the last two years, pushing the total number of refugees from Afghanistan in the country to an estimated 3.7 million, according to Pakistan-based Express Tribune.
In June 2023, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) reported the presence of 3.5 million refugees from Afghanistan in Pakistan.
Qaiser Khan Afridi, the spokesperson for the UNHCR, acknowledged that Pakistan is hosting an additional 1.3 million refugees who have received identity cards from the Pakistani government.
Afridi also highlighted that over the past two years, more than 16,000 citizens from Afghanistan have returned home through the UNHCR’s voluntary repatriation program.
According to the report, Islamabad issued a one-time Afghanistan Citizen Card (ACC) to around 880,000 refugees in 2017, which expired this year.
Afridi meanwhile said that negotiations are ongoing between the UNHCR and Pakistani authorities to extend the registration cards for refugees from Afghanistan with and hopes for a positive resolution.
However, the situation remains complex as approximately 775,000 refugees are residing in Pakistan without legal status.
This comes as the Pakistani government recently stepped up forced expulsions of refugees, including some who possess valid residence documents, as it grapples with the overwhelming influx of migrants.
