Pakistan has highlighted the plight of over 44,000 Afghans approved for relocation to Western nations, who remain stranded in the country following the Taliban’s return to power. Islamabad revealed on Thursday that these individuals are caught in a bureaucratic limbo, despite being granted approval for resettlement.
In the chaotic aftermath of the Taliban takeover in August 2021, a massive evacuation effort saw over 120,000 people, primarily Afghans, airlifted from Kabul. Since then, hundreds of thousands more Afghans have fled the Taliban regime, seeking refuge in countries involved in the 20-year occupation of their homeland.
Pakistan’s foreign office spokesperson, Mumtaz Zahra Baloch, stated that three years after the Taliban seized control, 25,000 Afghans approved for relocation to the US are still residing in Pakistan. Additionally, 9,000 Afghans have been accepted by Australia, 6,000 by Canada, 3,000 by Germany, and over 1,000 by Britain – all awaiting resettlement.
Baloch urged these nations to expedite the visa process and relocate these individuals as quickly as possible. The closure of Afghan embassies in numerous countries after Kabul fell left many Afghan migrants stranded in Pakistan, relying on Islamabad’s embassies to process their cases.
A significant number of those seeking relocation were involved in the foreign-backed government and fear reprisals from the Taliban authorities. Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif recently pressed UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi on the backlog of Afghans awaiting relocation and the influx of refugees without onward travel plans.
Sharif emphasized that the international community must acknowledge the burden Pakistan faces in hosting such a large refugee population and share the responsibility collectively. Since the Taliban takeover, approximately 600,000 Afghans have sought refuge in Pakistan, adding to the millions who arrived over the preceding four decades, fleeing successive conflicts including the Soviet invasion, civil war, and the post-9/11 US-led occupation.
However, over the past year, Pakistan has intensified efforts to expel undocumented Afghans, leading to the deportation of over half a million back to Afghanistan amid strained relations between the two countries. Despite this, Islamabad announced on Wednesday that it would extend the right of registered Afghan refugees to remain in the country for another year while continuing its push to repatriate undocumented Afghans.
