Refugee registration: Afghan team in Pakistan for talks

Discuss procedure for documentation of nearly 1.5 unregistered Afghan refugees

ISLAMABAD:

A three-member Afghan delegation is due to arrive in Islamabad today to discuss the procedure for the documentation of nearly 1.5 unregistered Afghan refugees living in Pakistan.

Officials told The Express Tribune that Islamabad and Kabul are scheduled to hold talks about the registration of the Afghan refugees on a “technical-level” within a couple of days.

Pakistan hosts nearly 1.6 million registered Afghans, according to the UN refugee agency.

In March, the two sides had agreed on documenting the unregistered Afghan nationals in Pakistan with technical support from National Database Registration Authority and after verification by Afghan authorities.

The registration process is scheduled to begin on July 15, the frontiers minister had told the Senate last week.

The newly documented refugees will not be entitled to get the Proof of Registration cards.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 11^th, 2015.