Fawzia Koofi Calls for Urgent Support for Afghan Refugees in Meeting with Pakistani Officials

She met with Pakistan’s Special Representative for Afghanistan, Mohammad Sadiq, Hina Rabbani Khar, and members of the country’s parliamentary foreign relations committee, along with several Afghan human rights activists and journalists based in Islamabad.

According to a statement released after the meeting, a five-point proposal to support Afghan migrants and refugees was presented to Pakistani officials.

The statement says that many Afghan refugees were forced to flee the country due to direct threats from the Taliban, but are now living in a state of uncertainty in Pakistan, without access to basic services or proper legal protection.

The representatives at the meeting proposed compiling a list of individuals at risk who are registered with international organizations to prevent their deportation. They also called on the Pakistani government to facilitate the issuance and renewal of visas for these individuals and to grant them a minimum six-month validity.

This comes as the Pakistani government had set April 10 as the deadline for the return of holders of the Afghan Citizen Card (ACC), but began mass deportations even before this deadline.

Despite pressure and appeals from human rights organizations, Pakistan continues to forcibly deport Afghan refugees. Thousands of Afghans who sought refuge in Pakistan after the Taliban’s takeover are now at risk of arrest or forced return to Afghanistan.