Afghans Struggle with Costly Monthly Visa Extensions in Pakistan

With the continued forced expulsion of Afghan refugees from Pakistan, several Afghan refugees in the country have complained about the high cost of visa extensions and its time limitations.

They say that currently Pakistan’s visa is only extended monthly, which has created significant economic challenges for the refugees.

“We must extend our visa every month, and this monthly extension has caused major economic difficulties for Afghan refugees. A family cannot afford to extend the visas of five members,” said Haseena Sarwari, an Afghan refugee in Pakistan.

Mohammad Reza Sazish, another Afghan refugee in Pakistan, said: “At present, all visas have been converted to one-month durations, and we cannot extend our visas for more than one month. We hope this system changes and returns to its previous state because the high cost of visa extension is beyond the means of any Afghan refugee in Pakistan.”

Meanwhile, several refugee rights activists have called for serious attention to the problems of Afghan refugees in Pakistan.

“The current Afghan government must take action through diplomatic channels with the Pakistani government to issue long-term visas based on the laws of both countries,” said Mohammad Khan Mohammadzai, a refugee rights activist.

“In the past, visas were extended for six months or three months, but now they are only extended for one month at a cost of $100 or 20,000 Pakistani rupees. A solution must be found for this problem,” Ehsan Khan Ahmadzai, another refugee rights activist, added.

This comes as officials of the Islamic Emirate and various organizations have repeatedly called for more facilities for Afghan refugees.

The International Organization for Migration and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees have also repeatedly urged Pakistan to treat Afghan refugees appropriately in accordance with international law.

Despite repeated attempts, TOLOnews was unable to obtain comments from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation on this matter.

However, previously, officials of the Islamic Emirate have called on neighboring countries to provide all necessary facilities for Afghan refugees and to refrain from forcibly expelling them.