TORONTO – The government of Canada has announced to support the Afghan refugees based in Central Asia and Pakistan through a UN agency.
Canada’s Immigration Minister, Marc Miller announced that the government would provide $21 million to the International Organization for Migration (IOM) to support vulnerable Afghan populations in Central Asia and Pakistan who are fleeing Afghanistan.
The government aims that this funding will help these neighboring countries become better equipped to support the refugees and respond to their needs.
Speaking at the Global Refugee Forum in Geneva, the minister highlighted how Canada plans to resettle over 136,000 refugees in the next 3 years, adding that the country will continue to offer protection to the world’s most vulnerable communities.
Canada has already welcomed over 40,000 Afghans from across the world and has also welcomed Afghan refugees who had no legal status in Pakistan.
The move came after the caretaker regime in Pakistan announced to deport those refugees who were illegal. The government had set a deadline of November 1st for these refugees to either leave the country themselves or face deportation.
Reports in the media suggest that nearly four million foreigners live in Pakistan, and a vast majority of them are Afghan nationals who sought refuge over the last four decades following the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in the 80s.
Despite international pressure, caretaker Minister for Information and Broadcasting Murtaza Solangi said on Monday that foreigners, whether Afghan nationals or otherwise, cannot stay in Pakistan indefinitely without a visa.
In a media interaction, Solangi said millions of Afghan citizens are legally present in Pakistan who have access to all facilities including healthcare, education and business.
We have asked only those foreigners to leave the country who do not have a valid visa, the minister noted.
