Pakistan’s Ministry of Interior officials have urged Western countries, particularly the United States, to expedite the resettlement process of 20,000 Afghan refugees and warned that if the process is delayed, these refugees will be deported.
The Washington Post, citing two Pakistani security officials, reported that Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has emphasized the expulsion of Afghan refugees who are awaiting resettlement in a third country.
The report states that these Afghan citizens will be evacuated from Islamabad and Rawalpindi by March 31.
Pakistani officials, who preferred to remain anonymous in the report, have stressed that if the relocation of these Afghan citizens is not coordinated with Pakistan’s foreign diplomatic missions, they will be sent back to Afghanistan.
Following former U.S. President Donald Trump’s suspension of the refugee resettlement process, Reuters, citing a refugee advocacy group and a U.S. official, reported that Trump’s executive order has halted flights for over 40,000 Afghan citizens who hold Special Immigrant Visas (SIV).
Previously, several stranded Afghan refugees in Pakistan expressed concerns about the U.S. President’s executive order in interviews with Khama Press and called for international support.
This comes as some prominent figures in Donald Trump’s administration, including U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance, have welcomed the decision. However, a number of Democrats in Congress have recently called for the resumption of refugee transfers to the U.S.
According to Pakistani officials, there are currently 1.45 million Afghan refugees legally residing in the country, with their residency extended until June.