ISLAMABAD: As cash-strapped Pakistan moves to repatriate illegal Afghans and other foreigners, Prime Minister Sharif on Tuesday called on the international community to recognise the burden Afghan refugees pose to Pakistan.
He was meeting with Filippo Grandi, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), who is visiting Pakistan, a statement from the Prime Minister’s Office said.
“The prime minister stressed that the international community must recognise the burden Pakistan is shouldering in hosting such a large number of refugees and show collective responsibility,” the statement said.
He stressed that the international community must recognize the burden Pakistan is shouldering in hosting so many refugees and show collective responsibility. He sought UNHCR’s assistance in mobilizing sufficient resources to complement Pakistan’s efforts in this regard.
The Prime Minister reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to address the protection and safety needs of people in vulnerable situations and stressed the need for the international community to take note of the socio-economic challenges and security threats facing Pakistan in this regard.
The UN High Commissioner expressed gratitude to Pakistan for hosting millions of Afghan refugees over the past few decades. He assured that UNHCR would continue to work closely with Pakistan to meet the basic needs of Afghan refugees.
The UNHCR arrived in Pakistan on Sunday for a three-day visit, its first since the caretaker government announced plans last November to repatriate what it calls “illegal foreigners”.
No official data is released on the number of foreigners who have returned home, but it is believed that around 500,000 of the estimated 1.7 million undocumented Afghans have returned home.
In addition to the unregistered Afghans, there are 1.45 million registered Afghan refugees.
Published July 9, 2024 20:13 IST
