250,000 Afghans have fled to Pakistan in the last ten months

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) says 250,000 Afghans have fled to Pakistan since August last year.

UNHCR Deputy Chief Kelly Clements, traveled to Kabul last week to review the situation of refugees and then to Islamabad.

In Islamabad, Clements spoke with the foreign minister and a number of Pakistani officials about the situation of Afghan refugees in the country, the organization said.

The UNHCR said late on Friday that currently, there are 2.8 million Afghans in the country of which 1.3 million migrants have been registered. Another 250,000 have been added since August last year.

The UNHCR Deputy Chief met with Pakistani Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and Minister of States and Frontier Regions, Muhammad Talha Mahmood to discuss a lasting solution for Afghan refugees in neighboring countries.

Pakistani officials have meanwhile pledged to provide birth cards for infants and education for Afghan refugee children, the UNHCR said.

“Afghans need to see that they are not alone and that the international community stands by them and appreciates Pakistan’s commitment to resettling refugees,” Clements said.