Pak says US committed to take in large number of Afghan refugees currently living in country

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Thursday said that the US is committed to take in a large number of Afghan refugees now staying in Pakistan, days after the new Trump administration suspended the US Refugee Admissions Programme from January 27 for at least three months.

Foreign Office spokesperson Shafqat Ali Khan said, “We have an arrangement with the US by virtue of which it is committed to take a lot of Afghans from Pakistan to the US for resettlement by September this year.”

At the weekly briefing, he said that “this arrangement is in place so far”.

Khan said that Pakistan would continue to implement its existing policies regarding Afghan refugees, clarifying that there was no plan to alter the policy towards the Afghans living in the country.

According to the news agency AP, an estimated 15,000 Afghans are waiting in Pakistan to be approved for resettlement in the US via an American government programme.

The programme was set up to help Afghans at risk under the Taliban because of their work with the US government, media, aid agencies and rights groups, after US troops pulled out of Afghanistan in 2021, when the Taliban took power.

The Foreign Office spokesperson said Pakistan was ready to engage with the new US administration to take the longstanding bilateral ties forward.

“Pakistan is committed to a strong and robust relationship with the US based on the principle of non-interference in internal affairs,” he said.

He welcomed President Donald Trump's oath taking and emphasised that the US-Pakistan relationship was important, covering multiple areas.

“We look forward to continuing the positive trajectory of these relations,” he said.

He said Afghan soil was being used by the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).

Pakistan would continue to impress upon the Afghan authorities to address these concerns so that the bilateral relations could achieve their full potential, he added.

Khan also denied claims of supporting the banned militant Islamic State (ISIS) group.

“We strongly reject Afghanistan’s allegations of supporting ISIS. We urge the Afghan administration to dismantle the terrorist camps of TTP,” he said.

To another question, the spokesperson said Pakistan remains committed to the full implementation of the Indus Water Treaty, including its dispute settlement mechanism. He hoped India will also implement the treaty in good faith and in its entirety.

Khan also condemned the Israeli military's renewed attacks on Gaza during an ongoing ceasefire, expressing Pakistan's strong opposition to the escalation of violence despite the ceasefire agreement.

“We urge the international community to develop a concrete plan for the reconstruction of Gaza in line with UNSC resolutions,” he said.