The Pakistani government, chaired by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, in a meeting on Friday, approved to let the Afghan refugees whose residence permits automatically expire on December 31st 2016, live in Pakistan until March 31 next year.
Many Afghan refugees had to abandon their country and to come to the neighboring Pakistan in the wake of the Soviet-imposed war on the nation, reports IRNA.
Most of them entered Pakistan during 1980s and 1990s.
Families settled in different cities across the country and new generations of Afghans now are contributing to Pakistan's economy.
According to the latest report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, over 0.1 million of refugees have returned to Afghanistan in July and August out of the total of 1.5 million registered persons while those who are unregistered are in equal numbers.
EghtesadOnline: Pakistan government has agreed to let the Afghan refugees registered with the federal government to stay in the country until March 31st 2017.