Islamabad, (Samajweekly) Pakistan is not setting up any camp to accommodate a new wave of Afghan refugees on its territory after the Taliban takeover of the war-torn nation, Interior Minister Sheikh Rasheed Ahmad said.
Addressing a press conference here on Monday, the Minister said that his country is allowing Afghan nationals holding Pakistani visas and other documents to enter the country, but there is no other policy so far for refugees, reports Xinhua news agency.
Ahmad added that the situation at the country’s two border crossings with Afghanistan is under control and there is no influx of refugees anywhere along the borders.
The official noted that Pakistan is keen to see peace prevail in Afghanistan and supports its development.
Ahmad’s remarks came more than a week after Inter Services Public Relations’ (ISPR) Director-General Babar Iftikhar said that there was no influx of Afghan refugees along the borders with Pakistan, and the people who have valid documents to enter Pakistan are being allowed to pass.
The border crossings and other border posts are open for trade with Afghanistan as it is a landlocked country, and on humanitarian grounds, it is improper to keep the borders closed indefinitely.
According to the UNHCR, Pakistan hosts more than 1.4 million registered Afghans who have been forced to flee their homes.
