Afghan refugees in Iran and Pakistan have once more voiced their concerns about the lack of progress being made in their applications for asylum. They said that the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and Western nations’ agencies in Pakistan have not paid attention to their requests.
“For the past three months, a large number of journalists and civil society women’s rights activists have protested the delay in processing our immigration applications, but they have not provided us with any answers,” said an Afghan refugee in Pakistan. “Afghans face challenges such as their visas expiring and not being extended, lack of jobs, and high rent,” said another Afghan refugee in Pakistan.
They ask the institutions supporting the asylum seekers and Western nations’ agencies in Islamabad to address their problems.
“We ask the United Nations and those countries who accept immigrants to listen to the voices of the Afghan people and pay attention to their cases,” said an Afghan refugee in Pakistan.
Meanwhile, some of the Afghan refugees who are living in Iran talked about the problems they face living in that country. “Over the last eleven months, there has been a significant increase in the number of Afghan refugees entering Iran; every day 4,000 to 5,000 refugees, both legal and illegal, come over while 2,000 to 3,000 refugees are deported. —Tolo News
