ISLAMABAD: Ensuring educational facilities to the millions of Afghan refugees residing in the country, Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said on Wednesday that the government would continue to work towards the process as “it is the real investment for a prosperous future of Afghanistan”.
His comments were part of an address made during a ceremony which was held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Islamabad where Qureshi distributed books, school bags, stationery, and other items of winter clothing among 200 Afghan refugee children, the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
“At any given point during these years, on an average, more than three million Afghans have been living inPakistan,” the Foreign Minister said, highlighting the generous hospitality extended by the people ofPakistan to their Afghan brothers and sisters during the past four decades.
Chinese Ambassador Yao Jing and Afghan Charge d’ Affaires were also present at the ceremony where Qureshi underscored the importance of trilateral cooperation between Pakistan, China, and Afghanistan “for peace in Afghanistan and the region, deepening connectivity, mutual development, and economic prosperity”.
“Ambassador of China Yao Jing appreciated Pakistan’s continued hospitality to millions of Afghan refugees and expressed his country’s desire to work for expanding trilateral cooperation in areas of mutual interests,” the statement read.
It added: “The Afghan C.d’A thanked Pakistan for hosting Afghan refugees for almost four decades and stated that the trilateral cooperation will contribute towards peace and stability in Afghanistan.”
According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Pakistan is the second-largest country to host refugees, with nearly 1.4 million documented Afghans living in the country with Proof of Registration cards. However, authorities in Pakistan say the number is higher with nearly one million unregisteredAfghan refugees calling the country home.
