Islamabad refuses to extend stay of Afghan citizens

PESHAWAR (Pajhwok): Pakistan has rejected Kabul’s request to extend the stay of Afghan nationals living illegally in Islamabad and Rawalpindi, a media report said on Thursday.

Last year, Pakistan ordered the Afghan nationals without documents to leave by February 28, 2025. They are thus left with a week to stay in the twin cities.

Security agencies had prepared lists of all such individuals living in the two cities, The News International reported, citing official sources. Information about their residences/locations has also been compiled.

However, the Afghan citizens, cleared for relocation to another country, could stay in Islamabad/Rawalpindi till March 31 this year.

After March 31, the report said, they too would have to leave Pakistan. The Afghans, having valid Pakistani visas, will continue to stay.

The decision to expel Afghan migrants had become inevitable due to the security situation and sensitivity of the twin cities, officials told the newspaper.

On Wednesday, the Foreign Office rejected remarks by the acting Afghan charge d’affaires on mistreatment of refugees by Pakistan.

A Foreign Office spokesperson, reacting to the Afghan diplomat’s statement, said: “I would like to remind him that Pakistan has hosted millions of Afghans for decades with respect and dignity.”

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