Pakistan

Pakistan world's largest host of refugees: UNHCR

Report praises country for unconditionally hosting millions of migrants, providing best possible facilities to them

APP April 16, 2018

Afghan refugees gather for renewal of their family cards at the Chamkany registration center on the outskirts of Peshawar. PHOTO: AFP

ISLAMABAD: The United Nations High Commission for Refugees has said that Pakistan is home to the largest refugee population in the world, according to a report published by the international body.

As per UNHCR, Pakistan is hosting the largest number of refugees globally, which number more than 1.45 million in the country, and most of them hail from Afghanistan.

For many Afghan refugees ‘home’ is an unfamiliar land

The report added that Pakistan unconditionally hosted millions of refugees and provided best possible facilities to affected people of different countries.

It praised Pakistan for giving special treatment for Afghan citizens when the Afghan war was on its peak. 1.45 million of them still live in Pakistan, the report noted.

Pakistan has continued hosting Afghan refugees for more than three decades, it added.

Pakistan not to expel Afghan refugees, says minister

Similarly, the voluntary repatriation of Afghan refugees from Pakistan to their own country was also the largest in the world, the report stated.

Since March 2002, UNHCR has facilitated the return of approximately 4.1 million registered Afghans from Pakistan, it underlined.

COMMENTS (2)

pakone | 6 years ago | Reply Kick them all out. They are the root cause of all our extremism and terrorism problems as proxies of India. They have outlived their welcome here. Time for all of them to go back to Afghanistan or to their buddies India. Lets see how India reacts to that. LOL. India loves afghans so much, take them na. Whats the problem?

Humza | 6 years ago | Reply It's time for Pakistan to encourage the Afghan refugees to go home and help build their own country Afghanistan or travel to Europe as refugees since the Pak Afghan border needs to be closed. Only when the refugees are sent back and the border closed can the nation stop criminals coming in from Afghanistan who harm Pakistani civilians and are funded by India.

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