US envoy calls on deputy PM to address Afghan refugee crisis

US Ambassador Donald Blome met with Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar to discuss pressing challenges, including the Afghan refugee situation, economic woes, and counterterrorism efforts, according to a statement released by the US embassy on Tuesday.

In the meeting between Ambassador Blome and DPM Dar, a wide array of bilateral and regional matters were discussed, according to US Mission Spokesperson Jonathon Lalley.

“The ambassador and deputy prime minister discussed a broad range of bilateral and regional issues, including the protection of Afghan refugees and asylum seekers, economic cooperation, security and counterterrorism and regional cooperation,” he said.

The Ambassador welcomed the opportunity to hear from the Deputy Prime Minister on Pakistan’s priorities in the lead-up to the UN General Assembly as Pakistan prepares to begin its term as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council, the spokesperson added.

Since November of last year, Pakistan has sent back nearly 700,000 Afghan nationals as part of a crackdown on illegal immigrants. 

This move followed a surge in suicide attacks that Islamabad attributed to Afghans, though no evidence was provided. The country, grappling with economic difficulties, argued that undocumented migrants had strained its resources for decades.

Compounding the country’s difficulties are escalating militant attacks, particularly in Balochistan, where over 50 people, including security forces, were killed in a series of assaults last month. The US Embassy condemned these attacks and reaffirmed its support for Pakistan’s counterterrorism efforts.

Before the deportation campaign began, Pakistan was home to over four million Afghan migrants and refugees, including approximately 1.7 million undocumented individuals, according to government estimates. 

Many of these Afghans arrived following the Taliban’s seizure of Kabul in 2021, though a significant number have been in Pakistan since the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979.

Pakistan maintains that the deportation drive targets all illegal immigrants, not just Afghans. However, the move has strained relations with the Taliban-led government in Kabul, which has urged Islamabad to treat Afghan nationals with respect and insists that Pakistan’s security issues are internal matters.