Pakistan Criticizes the Slow Process of Relocating Afghan Refugees

Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has criticized the slow process of transferring Afghan refugees in the country who are awaiting relocation to Western countries.

Shafqat Ali Khan, the spokesperson for Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, responding to the concerns raised by the Secretary-General of the Norwegian Refugee Council about the mass deportation of Afghan refugees from Pakistan and Iran, accused the global community of failing to fulfill its responsibilities in Afghanistan.

He stated: “If the world had not abandoned the people of Afghanistan after the war and had created the necessary social and economic conditions for their prosperity within their country, it would have been far better.”

Ali Khan further added: “Pakistan has generously hosted more than four million Afghan refugees for over forty years. Those who have been returned were living there illegally, without any documentation or proof of residence.”

He also highlighted that progress on the cases of thousands of Afghan citizens promised resettlement in Western countries has been painfully slow. UN humanitarian aid to Afghanistan has faced severe funding shortages, with only 37.5% of the required budget being met last year.