National Assembly Standing Committee on States and Frontier Regions meets

Islamabad, September 29, 2022 (PPI-OT):The National Assembly Standing Committee on States and Frontier Regions (SAFRON) showed its great concern over the illegal inflow of Afghan Nationals in Pakistan at large numbers without their registration by the quarters concerned after regime change in Afghanistan.

The Committee further expressed its deep concern over the free movement of unregistered Afghan Nationals without any restrictions and occupied major businesses in big cities, especially in Karachi and Peshawar, without paying taxes to the Government of Pakistan.

Whereupon, the Committee recommended that the Secretary, Ministry of Interior, Secretaries, Home Departments of all the provinces would be invited in the next meeting to discuss the issue of unregistered Afghan Nationals living mostly in Urban Areas of Pakistan and chalk-out a mechanism to stop them on border areas.

2. Due to illness of Mr. Muhammad Jamal ud Din, Chairman, Standing Committee on SAFRON, Mr. Ibadullah Khan, MNA Chaired the meeting, held today at 11:00 a.m. in Committee Room No. 7, Parliament House, Islamabad.

3. Additional Secretary, Ministry of SAFRON, informed while briefing the Committee that Pakistan generously hosted millions of Afghans for the last four decades. He further said that currently, there are three categories of Afghans living in Pakistan that includes 1.4 million Registered Proof of Registration (POR) Card holders, 840,000 Afghan Citizen Card holders (ACC) and estimated by various agencies 0.7 million undocumented Afghans.

The Commissioner, Afghan Refugees Headquarter also shared the issues/challenges in repatriation of the Afghan refugees, including the insufficient livelihood opportunities and due to the non-conducive environment in Afghanistan. He further said that the process of repatriation of Afghan refugees remained slow, after withdrawal of US-NATO forces from Afghanistan.

4. The Committee deferred the agenda item regarding alleged possession of FATA House, Islamabad, by the Federal Government however, the said House was constructed from FATA Annual Development Fund for official use by the Parliamentarians/Officers of FATA with the direction that the Secretary, Ministry of Interior must attend the next meeting to brief the Committee on the said issue.

5. The meeting was attended by MNAs: Chaudhry Muhammad Ashraf, Mr. Naveed Ameer Jeeva, Mr. Afreen Khan, Ms. Shakila Luqman, Ms. Nuzhat Pathan, Ms. Nasiba Channa, and Officers/Officials of the Ministry and its attached Departments.

For more information, contact:
Secretary,
National Assembly of Pakistan
Automation Centre, National Assembly Secretariat,
Parliament House, Islamabad, Pakistan
Tel: +92-51-9221082-83
Fax: +92-51-9221106
Email: assembly@na.gov.pk
Website: www.na.gov.pk

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