US Ambassador to Pakistan Donald Armin Blome has called on Minister for Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit-Baltistan and SAFRON Engr. Amir Muqam and discussed the matters related to the welfare of Afghan refugees, rehabilitation, and bilateral cooperation.
The ambassador has appreciated Pakistan's decision to extend the stay of registered Afghan refugees by a year, a statement from the US embassy in Pakistan said on Friday.
A large number of Afghan immigrants, with an estimated 1.7m undocumented as of October 2023, reside in Pakistan. According to US mission spokesperson Jonathan Lalley, Blome expressed the sentiments in a meeting today with Minister of States and Frontier Regions Amir Muqam in Islamabad.
While thanking Muqam for Pakistan's "long history of hosting Afghan refugees", Blome also reaffirmed the US's commitment to working with Pakistan to "assist Afghan refugees and Pakistani community members in areas hosting refugees". Blome "expressed appreciation for Pakistan's recent decision to extend the validity of refugee Proof of Registration cards", Lalley's statement said.
Lalley added that Blome also thanked Pakistan for the "positive steps taken to address protection concerns, and for our countries' continued cooperation to facilitate the safe, efficient resettlement of eligible Afghans" to the US.
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