Pakistan allows Afghan refugees to open bank accounts

KABUL’s Prime Minister Imran Khan has issued instructions to let registered Afghan refugees open bank accounts in the country, a media report said on Monday.

“I have issued instructions today that Afghan refugees who are registered can open bank accounts and from now onwards they can participate in the formal economy of the country,” the Pakistani prime Minister tweeted.

The premier added that the decision should have been taken “a long time ago”. Last year, the prime minister announced he will grant nationality to all Pakistan-born refugees of Afghan and Bangladeshi origins.

However, after a backlash from politicians and other quarters concerned, he said that no decision had been made, adding that he had raised refugee citizenship “just to initiate a debate”.

About 2.7 million Afghan refugees stay in Pakistan, who crossed the border after the Soviet invasion in 1979.

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