Pakistan hosts conference on Afghan refugees

A two-day international conference to mark forty years of Afghan refugees' presence in Pakistan began on Sunday, attended by world leaders and United Nations (UN) officials.

Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan inaugurated the conference in Pakistan, extending support in his speech for the Afghan peace process.

Khan said he believed people in Afghanistan "have suffered more than any human community" in the last 40 years, and that "we have tried our best whatever support we can give to these peace talks."

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, attended the conference, with ministers and senior officials from around twenty countries also expected.

Addressing the opening event of the conference, Guterres said, "we know the solutions lies in Afghanistan and I hope the signals of a possible best way for peace will lead to a better future for the people of Afghanistan."

The conference is taking place at an important juncture, as efforts at consolidating peace in Afghanistan make progress.

Pakistan is home to an estimated 5 million registered and undocumented people who fled neighbouring Afghanistan during various conflicts.

More than 1.5 million Afghan people still live as refugees in Pakistan, many living in camps, while others have built lives for themselves in Pakistan's cities.

The conference, titled "40 years of Afghan Refugees Presence in Pakistan," is being organised jointly by the Government of Pakistan in collaboration with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees.