More than 250,000 Afghans seeking asylum have arrived in Pakistan since January 2021, according to the UN refugee agency.
Qaiser Khan Afridi, a spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Pakistan, has said that Pakistan is facing new inflows of asylum seekers from Afghanistan after the Islamic Emirate’s takeover of Kabul.
“We are currently discussing with the government of Pakistan the way forward on registration and documentation of asylum-seekers, predominantly from Afghanistan,” he said.
The official said Pakistan itself is facing tough economic challenges.
“We have appealed to international donors to support Afghans within their country so that their issues can be addressed at home,” Afridi said.
The official said that plans were made to help the newly-arrived refugees, consisting of a large number of youngsters, to develop skills to be useful in Pakistan and their home country when they finally return.
There are 1.4 million Afghan refugees registered in Pakistan, according to UNHCR.
Afridi said only 850 Afghan refugees (185 families) have returned to their home country since the beginning of 2022 under the commission’s voluntary repatriation program.
The figure, he said, is slightly higher compared to repatriation during the same period last year.