PESHAWAR: The federal government has given another extension to over 2.3 million Afghan nationals, including 1.4 million registered refugees, in their stay by allowing them to remain in the country until June 30.
Addressing a daylong training workshop for field officers here, senior officials said refugees possessing Proof of Registration cards could continue to stay in the country until June 30 and that the same policy would also be applicable on those holding Afghan Citizen Cards (ACCs).
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and Afghan Commissionerate jointly organised the workshop to discuss the issues on the repatriation, health, education and community-based protection of the refugees.
Allowed to remain in country until June 30
This is the third extension granted to refugees during current year.
The deadline for the registered refugees will expire on March 31. Pakistan is currently hosting over 1.4 million registered refugees in addition to 800,000 recently documented Afghan citizens who have been residing outside camps across the country.
Speaking at the workshop, Director General of Afghan Refugees Waqar Maroof said the UNHCR and commissionerate were jointly working to expedite repatriation of refugees in line with the government policy.
He said the time had come that Afghan refugees go back under the voluntary repatriation programme, which had begun on March 1.
Around 100 families have returned during the ‘ongoing repatriation season’.
The official said the field staff of commissioner had been directed to focus on repatriation and pursue the delivery of ACCs to the newly-registered Afghan citizens.
He said repatriation process would be fully facilitated.
The federal government through the National Database and Registration Authority had registered around 800,000 undocumented Afghan citizens in the six-month long campaign, which was launched in August 2017.
All registered Afghans are being provided the ACCs at different registration centres. The Nadra has so far distributed cards among 275,000 Afghan nationals.
Head of UNHCR, Peshawar office, Danish Shrestha in his address said that refugees were provided health, education and skill development training.
He said the UN funded Refugees Affected and Hosting Areas project was also playing an important role in upgrading the infrastructure in KP and other parts of the country.
“Our main priority is to import quality education to Afghan children and provide the maximum facilities to refugees in camps,” he said.
He appreciated the role of Afghan Commissionerate’s field staff members on and their contribution to the issue.