Pakistan Shuts Down Long-Standing Afghan Refugee Camps in KP
Islamabad – The Ministry of Kashmir Affairs, Gilgit-Baltistan, and SAFRON have officially announced the closure of several Afghan refugee camps across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Under the new directive, the land previously occupied by these camps will now be handed over to the provincial government and respective deputy commissioners.
Among the camps being closed, three were located in Haripur district, while one each was in Chitral and Upper Dir. Notably, the Pinyan camp in Haripur, which has been operational for more than 40 years and at its peak hosted over 100,000 Afghan refugees, is also being shut down.
According to UNHCR, the majority of Afghan refugees in Pakistan continue to reside in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
In related developments, on September 20, Barrister Muhammad Ali Saif, Advisor to the Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Information, met with Sardar Ahmad Shakeeb, Acting Ambassador of Afghanistan to Pakistan, in Islamabad.
The meeting focused on strengthening Afghanistan–Pakistan relations, particularly through improving people-to-people ties, expanding bilateral trade, and exploring collaborative measures to address shared security and economic challenges. Both sides also discussed regional security issues, including recent unrest in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
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