Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday said that no further extension will be given to Afghan refugees and their repatriation will be ensured at the earliest.

He said only those Afghan nationals possessing valid Pakistani visas would be permitted to stay in the country.

Chairing a high-level meeting on the repatriation of Afghan refugees, the prime minister was briefed that so far, 1,477,592 Afghans have been sent back to their homeland.

The meeting decided that all relevant departments and provincial governments would strictly implement the agreed recommendations to complete the repatriation process smoothly.

The meeting was attended by Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, federal ministers, the Prime Minister of Azad Jammu and Kashmir, the chief ministers of Punjab, Sindh, Balochistan, and Gilgit-Baltistan, along with senior officials.

The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government was represented by its provincial envoy, while Chief Minister Sohail Afridi did not attend.

According to reports, Chief Minister Sohail Afridi later issued a clarification post on the social media platform X, explaining the reasons for his non-participation in the meeting.

Speaking on the occasion, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed serious concern over Afghanistan’s recent attacks on Pakistan and the support extended to Khawarij militants attempting to infiltrate the country.

He said Pakistan had made every possible diplomatic and political effort to prevent cross-border terrorism.

“Pakistan’s brave armed forces gave a strong and fitting response to the aggression,” the prime minister said, adding that under the leadership of Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, the Pakistan Army successfully repelled the attacks.

“The entire nation pays tribute to our forces for their professionalism and courage.”

The prime minister said Pakistan had always stood by Afghanistan through difficult times, despite losing thousands of lives and suffering billions in economic losses in the fight against terrorism.

He noted that senior Pakistani officials, including the deputy prime minister, foreign minister, and defence minister, had repeatedly engaged with the Afghan interim government to urge them to stop the use of Afghan soil for terrorism against Pakistan.

Participants of the meeting appreciated Pakistan’s diplomatic efforts and lauded the leadership of PM Shehbaz and Field Marshal Asim Munir in protecting the country’s sovereignty.

The forum reaffirmed that providing shelter to illegal Afghan nationals or hosting them in guest houses constitutes a criminal offence and would be dealt with under the law.