2.9m Afghans residing in Pakistan, Senate panel told

ISLAMABAD: The development projects under the Refugee-Affected and Hosting Areas (RAHA) Programme were halted in 2024 due to a lack of funding, the Senate Standing Committee on States & Frontier Regions (SAFRON) was informed on Friday.

The committee, which met at the Parliament House with its Chairman, Senator Jan Muhammad Buledi, in the chair, discussed the refugee challenges, support, and repatriation efforts. Senators Saadia Abbasi and Syed Masroor Ahsan stressed the need for mobilising international support in funding projects for Afghan refugees and proper utilisation of funds.

The Chief Commissioner for Afghan Refugees briefed the Standing Committee on the humanitarian assistance being provided to Afghan refugees in Pakistan, covering areas such as shelter, food, water, sanitation, education, and healthcare.

He informed the committee that approximately 2.9 million Afghan nationals are currently residing in Pakistan, of which 1.4 million are registered refugees, and 0.7 million are unregistered.

It was told that 40 million dollars has been disbursed to the government of Pakistan for technically supporting Nadra, FIA, passports, for capacity building, and awareness programs for Afghan refugees. While 10 million dollars has been allocated to SAFRON for technical assistance.

It was noted that Afghan refugee students are provided with 14 reserved seats in colleges and universities, along with free healthcare services in hospitals.

The committee was briefed on the trends in voluntary repatriation, noting that the period from 2002 to 2024 has seen the highest levels of repatriation until now.

The Committee was apprised that three organisations—UNHCR, GIZ, and JICA—are collaborating with the Chief Commissioner for Afghan Refugees (CCAR) in the fields of technical and social assistances for Afghan refugees.

Representatives from SAFRON shared the challenges they face, underscoring the decreasing trajectory supporting funds from international organisations, which they view as a significant barrier. They also apprised that the current state policy is focused on smooth repatriation of refugees.

The chairman and other committee members acknowledged that this process is time-consuming and needs to be implemented with a coordinated approach amongst all stakeholders. The committee decided that the next meeting would be held in Quetta in order to physically assess the impacts and progress on projects for the welfare of Afghan refugees.

The meeting was attended by Senators Saadia Abbasi, Khalida Ateeb, Masroor Ahsan, the Joint Secretary of the Ministry of States and Frontier Regions, the Chief Commissioner for Afghan Refugees, and senior representatives from the relevant departments.