ISLAMABAD: Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and United States Ambassador to Pakistan Donald Blome on Tuesday discussed the protection of Afghan refugees and asylum seekers in Pakistan, said a statement from the US Embassy.
It said that the two sides also reviewed other bilateral matters during the meeting.
A large number of Afghan immigrants, with an estimated 1.7 million undocumented live in Pakistan. Last year, the then caretaker government announced the repatriation of all illegal foreign nationals citing security concerns.
According to a statement issued by US Mission spokesperson Jonathan Lalley, US Ambassador Blome met Deputy Prime Minister Dar and discussed issues which included the protection of Afghan refugees and asylum seekers, security, economic cooperation, counterterrorism and regional cooperation.
Pakistan started the first phase of deportation in November last year, and according to Radio Pakistan, 675,190 Afghans have returned to their country as of August 4 under the campaign.
While the government had decided to start the second round of repatriation of holders of Afghan Citizenship Cards (ACC), it last month granted 1.45m Afghan refugees another year, extending their stay in Pakistan till June 30, 2025.
Meanwhile, a statement issued by the Foreign Office (FO) said that the discussion between Dar and Blome covered different aspects of the bilateral ties between the countries, including avenues for enhanced cooperation in diverse fields.
“They also discussed matters relating to the upcoming session of the UN General Assembly,” the FO said.
Pakistan was elected with a massive majority as a non-permanent member of the UNSC last month, vowing to contribute to meeting the challenges that the world was facing.
The U.S. Ambassador Donald Blome @usembislamabad today called on Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Minister @MIshaqDar50 at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The discussion covered various aspects of Pakistan-US bilateral relations including avenues for enhanced cooperation in diverse… pic.twitter.com/qyco6VfeNH
— Ministry of Foreign Affairs – Pakistan (@ForeignOfficePk) September 3, 2024
Pakistan will replace Japan on January 1, 2025, to start a record eighth term, which would continue for two years.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is scheduled to arrive in New York on September 21 to attend the UN-sponsored Summit of the Future and the UN General Assembly session.
The debate at the UNGA will start on September 24 and run through September 28. PM Shehbaz is expected to address the General Assembly on September 27.
