Sat 11 October 2023:
Pakistan extended the legal residence of nearly 1.4 million Afghan refugees until the end of 2023 but said it would not stop deporting the Afghans it says are “undocumented”.
The development comes amid relentless international pressure calling for the relief to the refugee community living in Pakistan.
“[The] government of Pakistan is pleased to extend the validity of the Proof of Registration, or PoR, cards issued to the registered Afghan refugees … till [31st] December 2023,” according to an official announcement.
The Proof of Registration or the PoR cards of the Afghan refugees, comprising those who fled conflict and persecution in late 1970s, had expired on June 30, 2023. The extension of the validity of PoR cards was denied by Islamabad without any explanation for the subsequent delay.
Now, Afghan refugees will be able to get their PoR cards extended.
Failure to comply by the November 1 deadline would result in arrest and deportation for violating immigration laws.
The caretaker Prime Minister Anwar ul-Haq Kakar reported over 250,000 Afghan individuals having voluntarily returned to Afghanistan since the deportation plan’s announcement, a move criticised by Afghanistan’s Taliban government and international rights groups.
Over 600,000 Afghans, including those who fled the Taliban’s takeover in Kabul, face eviction due to expired visas or lack of legal documents.
During a news conference, the Pakistani caretaker PM assured that individuals listed by the US would not be forcibly removed.
SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES
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