Islamabad, 8 December 2023 (WAI): Special Representatives from Pakistan and the United States (US) talked about Pakistan’s attempts to remove unauthorized foreigners—primarily Afghans—from the nation, as well as the most recent developments in Afghanistan.
Thomas West, the US Special Representative for Afghanistan, arrived in Islamabad on Thursday and had meetings with Asif Durrani, Pakistan’s Representative for Afghanistan, and Jalil Abbas Jilani, the acting Foreign Minister of Pakistan.
In their discussion of bilateral matters, Jilani and West emphasized the value of teamwork in advancing prosperity and progress for the Afghan people, according to a statement released by the Foreign Ministry and shared on X (formerly Twitter).
Regarding the ongoing crackdown on the unauthorized Afghan refugees, the ministry did not elaborate on what the two top officials discussed.
Pakistan gave all unauthorized immigrants in the country a deadline to leave the country until November 1 or risk deportation. This deadline was announced in October.
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In the previous month, more than 460,000 unregistered Afghan migrants fled Pakistan.
The most recent statistics by the United Nations show that 880,000 Afghans have legal authorization to remain in Pakistan, whereas 1.3 million are officially registered as refugees.
We discussed several problems in Afghanistan and the response from across the world. “Both parties stressed more coordination and cooperation,” Asif Durrani wrote on X after meeting with West.
Both parties discussed their views on current events, particularly the resettling of Afghan people in the US.
Before he arrives in Islamabad, West said on X (Twitter) that he will meet with essential partners in Pakistan, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia from December 5 to 15 to talk about different issues related to economics, human rights, humanitarian needs, and shared security objectives.
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