Islamabad Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday urged the global community to recognize the burden of Afghan refugees in Pakistan as the cash-strapped country pushed to send back undocumented Afghans and other foreigners.
He was speaking to United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Filippo Grandi, who has been visiting Pakistan, according to a statement from the PMO office.
"The prime minister stressed that the international community must recognize the burden Pakistan bears in hosting such a large refugee population, and demonstrate collective responsibility," the statement said.
He stressed that the international community must recognize the burden Pakistan bears in hosting such a large refugee population and demonstrate collective responsibility. He sought the support of UNHCR to mobilize adequate resources to complement Pakistan's efforts in this regard.
Reaffirming Pakistan's commitment to addressing the protection and security needs of people in vulnerable situations, the Prime Minister underlined that the international community needed to be aware of the socio-economic challenges and security threats faced by Pakistan in this regard.
The UN High Commissioner thanked Pakistan for hosting millions of Afghan refugees over the past decades. He assured that UNHCR would continue to work closely with Pakistan to meet the basic needs of Afghan refugees.
UNHCR arrived in Pakistan on Sunday on a three-day visit, its first visit since the interim government announced a repatriation plan for what it called "undocumented foreigners" in November last year.
Although no official data has been shared on the number of returned foreigners, around half a million Afghans are believed to have returned out of an estimated 1.7 million undocumented Afghans.
Apart from unregistered Afghans, there are 1.45 million registered Afghan refugees.
He was speaking to United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Filippo Grandi, who has been visiting Pakistan, according to a statement from the PMO office.
"The prime minister stressed that the international community must recognize the burden Pakistan bears in hosting such a large refugee population, and demonstrate collective responsibility," the statement said.
He stressed that the international community must recognize the burden Pakistan bears in hosting such a large refugee population and demonstrate collective responsibility. He sought the support of UNHCR to mobilize adequate resources to complement Pakistan's efforts in this regard.
Reaffirming Pakistan's commitment to addressing the protection and security needs of people in vulnerable situations, the Prime Minister underlined that the international community needed to be aware of the socio-economic challenges and security threats faced by Pakistan in this regard.
The UN High Commissioner thanked Pakistan for hosting millions of Afghan refugees over the past decades. He assured that UNHCR would continue to work closely with Pakistan to meet the basic needs of Afghan refugees.
UNHCR arrived in Pakistan on Sunday on a three-day visit, its first visit since the interim government announced a repatriation plan for what it called "undocumented foreigners" in November last year.
Although no official data has been shared on the number of returned foreigners, around half a million Afghans are believed to have returned out of an estimated 1.7 million undocumented Afghans.
Apart from unregistered Afghans, there are 1.45 million registered Afghan refugees.
