Trilateral Meeting for Extension of Afghan Refugees in Pakistan

Pakistan will hold a trilateral meeting of Afghanistan, Pakistan, and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Islamabad on Wednesday. Hafiz Ahmad Miakhail, a press advisor at Ministry of Refugees and Repatriations, said that the meeting will be held in pursuance of 10-months extension of Afghan refugees to stay in Pakistan. Miakhail added that they will request Pakistan to give Afghan government the opportunity to pursue and devise modalities for return of refugees as well as the possibility of shifting them gradually to safe areas in Afghanistan where the government will establish settlements. According to the figures by Afghan Ministry of Refugees and Repatriations, some 1.1 million Afghans repatriated from neighbouring Pakistan and Iran in 2016.