ISLAMABAD: With the onset of winter, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Pakistan said it has suspended its repatriation efforts for Afghan refugees from December 1 to February next year, a statement released by the global body said on Monday.

The specific areas where the operations will be halted for the duration include Azakhel, Nowshera and Baleli, and Quetta from the Voluntary Repatriation Centers (VRCs) in Pakistan; while Kabul, Samar Khel, and Jamal Mayna Encashment Centers will be impacted in Afghanistan.

The UNHCR added that the Proof of Registration (PoR) cards, however, will retain its validity, with registered PoR cardholders to be accorded their full rights as refugees in Pakistan. “Registered refugees (PoR cardholders) who face harassment, extortion or ill-treatment should contact UNHCR for assistance or call the protection helpline numbers,” the UNHCR said in a notification.

According to the UNHCR, Pakistan is the second-largest refugee-hosting country, with nearly 1.4 million documented Afghans living in the country with PoR cards. However, authorities in Pakistan say nearly one million unregistered Afghan refugees reside in the country.

On November 7 this year, both Pakistan and Afghanistan held their second round of talks for the Refugee Working Group (RWG) in Islamabad --- under the Afghanistan-Pakistan Action Plan for Peace and Stability (APAPPS) --- to discuss matters related to Afghan refugees and nationals illegally residing in Pakistan.

“Both sides deliberated on ways to enhance mutual cooperation for a dignified, gradual, time-bound, and complete return of the Afghan nationals to their country. It was also decided to observe the agreed timelines and procedures for repatriation of various categories of these persons to Afghanistan,” Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry had said in a statement at the time.