Number Of Afghan Refugees In Pakistan Reaches '3.5 Million'

According to the United Nations Refugee Agency, the number of Afghan refugees in Pakistan has now reached 3.5 million.

Of these, 1,400,000 people have POR residency cards and 800,000 have ECC cards. 600,000 migrants do not have official residency documents.

The Pakistani newspaper Business Recorder on Friday (November 29) quoted the UN refugee agency as saying that 700,000 Afghans who arrived in Pakistan after the Taliban took control of Afghanistan are planning to leave Pakistan for another country.

In November 2023, the Pakistani government forcibly deported undocumented immigrants, a move that has caused economic problems and severe psychological pressure for Afghan returnees. Many of the returnees described these behaviors as "degrading" and spoke of the seizure of their personal property.

On the other hand, according to international organisations, more than 20 million people in Afghanistan are struggling with poverty. Meanwhile, the Taliban's rule has caused many aid organisations to suspend or significantly reduce their activities due to policies that are "anti-human rights and against the rights of women and girls”.

Pakistan's Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi announced on Wednesday, November 27, that after December 31, Afghan citizens will not be allowed to stay in Islamabad without an official permit. The order comes as Afghan refugees claim to be taking part in anti-government protests.

Rustam Shah Mohmand, Pakistan's former ambassador to Kabul, has criticised the new decision of the Pakistani Interior Ministry to expel Afghans from Islamabad, calling it unfair. Afghans have been targeted in Pakistan because of internal political differences, he said.