Another reprieve: Afghan refugees can stay till March

Govt extends deadline for voluntary repatriation

PESHAWAR/ ISLAMABAD: The government has granted Afghan refugees a three-month reprieve, extending their legal stay in the country until March 31 and easing speculation about their imperilled future.

On Friday, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif extended the deadline for voluntary repatriation of registered Afghans till March 31 next year.

Thousands of Afghan refugees heaved a sigh of relief following the decision.

In June, the premier had extended the period of the Proof of Registration (PoR) cards till December 31, 2016. Registered Afghan refugees hold PoR cards that allow them to reside legally in Pakistan.

Official sources, however, attached the extension’s significance to the upcoming United Nations General Assembly, where PM Nawaz will also participate. Pakistan, the sources insisted, will be in a better position to project its policy on Afghanistan “by taking a high moral ground”.



Friday’s decision to extend the refugees’ stay was ratified by the federal cabinet with the prime minister in the chair.

The details of the cabinet meeting’s agenda issued by the PM House said the extension in stay of Afghan refugees was proposed till December 31, 2017 but the cabinet only gave the approval till March 31 next year.

Sources close to the PM told The Express Tribune that the issue was deliberated upon in detail and the reservations
of security agencies, interior

ministry and the K-P and Balochistan governments were considered.

The cabinet then decided not to grant the extension till next year-end. “The decision not to get very generous with the extension was taken keeping in view all the relevant factors. There are a lot of strings attached,” a senior Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader said, requesting anonymity.

Premier Nawaz also directed the states and frontier regions (Safron) ministry to hold broad-based consultations with the mainstream political parties and Afghan representatives for addressing the concerns of Afghan refugees.

“Afghans are our brothers and very dear to us. Adequate and concrete steps will be ensured for facilitation of Afghan refugees living in Pakistan. We would not allow Afghan refugees living in Pakistan to be terrified in any way. They are our guests and their return plans would be decided in a way that does not create any negative impression in the minds of people living on both sides of the border,” the PM was quoted as saying in the official statement.

A PM House insider claimed the decision would allow Pakistan “to play on a stronger wicket at UN General Assembly”.

“We have been propagating for long that Pakistan is part of the solution and not a problem for Afghanistan,” he said. “It will certainly place us in a better position to advocate our policy of ‘Afghan-owned, Afghan-led’ peace process.”

Pakistan hosts some 1.5 million registered Afghan refugees who are supported by the UNHCR. The number of illegal Afghan immigrants is believed to be more than twice the number of the registered refugees.

PM’s Adviser Amir Muqam defended the government’s decision as a “goodwill gesture to our Afghan brothers and sisters”.



“The government is cognisant of the plight of Afghan refugees and at the same time, we are also fully aware of our limitations and constraints. We have to make decisions accordingly,” he said, claiming the decision was taken after reviewing all pros and cons.

The K-P government, which hosts the majority of the refugees, also welcomed the federal cabinet’s decision, terming it a “relief” for the registered Afghan settlers.

“Repatriation of Afghan refugees is an international issue and we do not want to create any hurdles. If they can stay here for decades then the extension of three more months is not a big deal,” said Mushtaq Ahmad Ghani, the K-P government spokesperson.

The refugees, he said, were facing problems in selling their properties since the announcement of voluntary repatriation. “It is difficult for them to wind up their businesses by the year-end,” he added.

According to the UNHCR, 977,993 registered Afghan refugees are living in K-P while Balochistan hosts 303,324 documented Afghans. The figure in Sindh is 62,000 and 172,000 in Punjab. Another 34,600 refugees live in Islamabad and 3,700 in Kashmir.

UNHCR spokesperson Dunya Khan also welcomed the cabinet’s decision, saying the extension would bring much-needed relief to the anxious Afghan refugees.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 10^th, 2016.