ISLAMABAD, July 1 (Xinhua) -- Pakistan has decided to extend the stay of registered Afghan refugees for three months, an official announcement said.
The decision was taken at the meeting of federal cabinet presided over by caretaker Prime Minister Nasir-ul-Mulk, a statement from the prime minister's office said on Saturday.
Pakistan still hosts nearly 1.3 million registered Afghan refugees while around 1 million others are unregistered.
The tenure of the stay of the registered refugees, who hold Proof of Registration cards (PoR), was expired on June 30.
The cabinet meeting discussed, in detail, the issue of extension in stay of the Afghan refugees and it was decided to grant an interim extension of three months to the registered refugees present in the country, the statement said.
It was further decided to place the matter before the incoming elected government that will be formed after the July 25 parliamentary elections.
The UN refugee agency said in March that since 2002, around 4.3 million Afghan refugees have voluntarily returned to Afghanistan.
