ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday urged the international community to be mindful of security threats and socio-economic challenges that Pakistan faces in hosting a “large” Afghan refugee population, a statement from the premier’s office said as he met United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Filippo Grandi in Islamabad. 

Millions of Afghans fled their homeland over the past four decades to escape war and poverty, most settling in Pakistan or Iran. Pakistan’s government launched a deportation drive last year against undocumented migrants, mostly Afghan refugees, after a spike in suicide bombings which the Pakistan government blamed on Afghan nationals without providing evidence. Islamabad also says Afghans are involved in smuggling, militant violence and other crimes. 

The deportation drive also took place as cash-strapped Pakistan navigated record inflation alongside a tough International Monetary Fund bailout program last year. Islamabad had also said undocumented migrants had drained its resources for decades. State media said last month Pakistan has so far repatriated over 620,000 Afghan refugees since last year. 

Grandi is on an official visit to Pakistan from July 7-9 to meet high-ranking government officials and Afghan refugees. The UNHCR official met Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar on Sunday during which both sides discussed a wide range of issues relating to the global refugee situation, with a particular focus on Afghan refugees, Pakistan’s foreign office said. 

“While reaffirming Pakistan’s commitment to address protection and safety needs of people in vulnerable situations, the Prime Minister underscored that the international community needed to be mindful of the socio-economic challenges and security threats being faced by Pakistan in this regard,” the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said in a statement. 

Sharif told Grandi that the international community needed to recognize the burden that Pakistan shoulders while hosting such a “large” refugee population, adding that it also needed to demonstrate collective responsibility in this regard. 

He sought the UNHCR’s support in mobilizing resources to host Afghan refugees and urged it to play its role in promoting durable solutions to address the situation. The Pakistani prime minister told Grandi that despite several challenges, Pakistan hosted Afghan refugees with “exemplary respect and dignity” for over four decades. 

“The UN High Commissioner expressed gratitude for Pakistan’s generosity and hospitality in hosting millions of Afghan refugees for the past many decades and assured that UNHCR would continue to work closely with Pakistan to fulfill the basic needs of the Afghan refugees,” the PMO said. 

Pakistan’s move to deport thousands of Afghan refugees has also strained its ties with the Taliban-led government in Afghanistan. The Afghan government, which is struggling to deal with an influx of its citizens returning from Pakistan, has urged Islamabad to treat Afghan nationals respectfully.