Afghan Migrants Face Uncertainty in Pakistan as Visas Remain Unrenewed
Some Afghan migrant families in Islamabad who hold migration case files have complained about the Pakistani government’s refusal to extend their visas.
For the past two weeks, they have been forced to live in a recreational park and are calling on the Pakistani government and international refugee organizations to address their situation.
Madina Rahmani, one of the Afghan migrants, described the hardship these families are facing: “Due to lack of visas, we were evicted from our homes and have been living in the park for fifteen days. We can’t sleep in the tents during the hot days and rainy nights, and our children have fallen ill.”
Ziba, another Afghan migrant in Pakistan, said: “The landlords no longer allowed us to stay because our visas had expired, and they evicted us. The Pakistani government won’t extend our visas. We came to one of Islamabad’s parks, and now we are spending day and night here.”
Additionally, a number of migrants with valid case files have called on international organizations to take up their cases.
Shukria Zarmena Hosseini, an Afghan migrant in Pakistan, said: “We have been completely ignored. Our case has not moved forward. Every time we call, they tell us the situation is bad. The police come and deport us. We don’t know what to do. They’ve told us to call them whenever the police show up.”
The Pakistani government has allowed holders of Afghan Proof of Registration (PoR) cards to stay in the country until the end of August this year; however, many migrants remain deeply concerned about their future and that of their families.
