ISLAMABAD— Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry has expressed hope that the United States will resume its Afghan refugee resettlement program, confirming that discussions on the issue are ongoing with Washington.
“We hope this program will be reinstated and that the remaining Afghan refugees will be allowed to resettle in the United States, in line with its commitments,” said Shafqat Ali Khan, a spokesman for Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry, during a press briefing on Monday.
His remarks come amid uncertainty over the U.S. refugee program for Afghans, which was suspended by President Trump on January 20. The suspension has left thousands of Afghans in Pakistan in limbo, waiting for an opportunity to relocate to the United States.
According to reports, the delay has affected the processing and relocation of approximately 25,000 Afghan refugees still in Pakistan.
Following the fall of Kabul to the Taliban in 2021, Western governments pledged to resettle Afghan citizens who had assisted them during military operations.
Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry estimates that about 80,000 Afghans have been resettled in various countries so far, while more than 40,000 remain in uncertain conditions. Among them, 25,000 had been expected to move to the United States. Under the initial agreement, their resettlement was supposed to be completed by September 2025.
Khan did not provide further details on the status of negotiations but indicated that the issue remains under diplomatic discussion.
Despite these talks, high-level officials from both Pakistan and the United States have yet to take formal steps on the matter since the change of administration in Washington.
