Islamabad, PakistanAbout 90,000 Afghan refugees have returned to their country from Pakistan this year, The Express Tribune reported today.
According to The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Pakistan, security checks for undocumented Afghans and a relatively higher cash grant for those who apply for repatriation has made this possible.
“The increase in the number of security operations against undocumented foreigners, including undocumented Afghans, has also impacted refugees’ decision-making, despite assurances from authorities that Proof of Registration card holders will not be subjected to arrest or deportation,” UNHCR-Pakistan spokesperson Dunya Khan told the Pakistan daily.
She however added that refugees should not be forced to go back.
“Because of the border security environment and action against undocumented foreigners, Afghan refugees face pressure,” she said.
Pakistan currently has around three million Afghan refugees. Of these, 1.6 million are registered while the remaining are not, and are vulnerable to expulsion, The Express Tribune report said,
Pakistan's Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had earlier extended the deadline for registration of Afghan refugees by six months, that has allowed them to stay in the country till December 31, 2016.
(WION)