ISLAMABAD: Out of total 3.7 million Afghans living in Pakistan, only over 1.3 million are registered, while 775,000 are still to be registered, according to a report on Sunday.
According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) statistics compiled up to June 2023, 68 per cent Afghan migrants are living in Pakistan’s urban and semi-urban areas while the remaining 32 per cent are settled in villages and tribal areas.
Out of total 3.7 million, 700,000 Afghan nationals are settled in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP); 300,000 in Balochistan; close to 200,000 in Punjab, 73,000 in Sindh, 41,000 in Islamabad and over 4,000 in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK).
The Afghans, living in Pakistan illegally, are involved in the smuggling of narcotics and other prohibited items. If we look at history, we find out that Pakistan suffered immensely by letting the Afghans in since it was after their arrival that Pakistani markets were flooded with foreign products.
The Afghans benefitted a lot from that as their businesses flourished. But they refused to pay taxes, which badly affected the country’s economy.
