ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has extended the legal residency of Afghan refugees in the country by another year, according to an official statement released after a cabinet meeting on Wednesday.

The federal cabinet approved a one-year extension for Proof of Registration (POR) cards for 1.45 million Afghan refugees, whose cards expired last month. The extension is valid until June 30th next year.

This decision came a day after United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Filippo Grandi met with top Pakistani officials, including Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, and praised Pakistan for pausing the “Illegal Foreigners Repatriation Plan.”

During his discussions, Grandi emphasized the importance of timely extending the POR cards, which serve as crucial identity documents for over 1.3 million Afghan refugees. He also sought assurance that the repatriation plan would remain suspended.

In the meeting, Prime Minister Shehbaz urged the international community to acknowledge Pakistan’s significant burden of hosting a large Afghan refugee population and to show collective responsibility.