Afghan refugees in Pakistan protest amid delay in US resettlement

Hundreds of Afghan refugees who have been waiting in Pakistan for more than 18 months to receive US visas demonstrated in the capital of Pakistan.

After the Taliban takeover of the country in August 2021, the US government expedited the issuance of visas to at-risk Afghans, such as journalists, and human rights advocates, under the refugee programs of P1 and P2.

Individuals who qualify must have worked in Afghanistan for the US government, a US media outlet, or a nongovernmental group, and a US-based employer must recommend them.

Afghan applicants have been waiting in Pakistan since August 2021 for US officials to process their visa applications. Such a lengthy process for resettlement has put Afghan applicants in a very vulnerable position as they struggle with poverty and a lack of access to health, education, and other facilities in Pakistan.

One of the leading protest organisers, Mohammad Baqir Ahamadi, said that many applicants face several problems, including visa extension in Pakistan to wait for the US application process.

The protesters complained about the process and dysfunction of resettlement support centres (RSC). They asked the authorities to evacuate them to a country where the necessary resettlement is open and to be able to conduct interviews.

Since the return of the Taliban to power in August 2021, most Afghans who worked with the US government have left the country due to the security threats to Pakistan.

The P1 and P2 are those Afghan applicants eligible for resettlement as refugees to the United States. According to the US rules, Afghan applicants cannot apply directly for refugee resettlement to the United States, and their family members in the US also cannot refer them.

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