Afghan refugees to be issued new smart cards from April 1

Pakistan's Special Representative to Afghanistan Mohammad Sadiq announced on Thursday that Afghan refugees are to be issued new smart cards from April 1.

In a series of tweets, the ambassador stated that, "During the six-month long exercise, NADRA will verify and update the data of the registered Afghan refugees who have the Proof of Registration (PoR) cards with an expiry date of December 31, 2015.

The special representative said that the initiative had been launched within the framework of the Support Platform for the Solutions Strategy for Afghan Refugees, fostering renewed partnerships and stronger strategic linkages between humanitarian and development investments.

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According to Sadiq,”The new smart cards will have renewed proof of identity, enhancing the protection of refugees in Pakistan, and will help facilitate identity authentication making access to services faster, safer and more effective.”

Upon verification of their data, these Afghan refugees will receive new PoR smart cards.

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Pakistan is one of the largest refugee-hosting nations in the world, home to an estimated three million refugees.

The country is also playing a key role in brokering and facilitating the peace process with its war-torn neighbour, and has been emphasising that there is no military solution to the lingering war in Afghanistan.