Pakistan aiding evacuation of Canada-bound Afghans: high commissioner

Pakistan’s High Commissioner to Canada says his country will help evacuate Canada-bound Afghans trying to escape by road into Pakistan.

While the Canadian government has advised those left behind in Kabul to shelter in place, Ameer Khurram Rathore told CityNews in an interview people headed to Canada who wish to make the trek to Pakistan will be issued entry visas.

“Our embassy is working 24 hours providing consular services in Kabul,” said Rathore, adding more than 1,000 visas are being issued every day. “The people who have valid visas, they can cross the land border.”

The issue was discussed during a phone call Wednesday morning between Foreign Affairs Minister Marc Garneau and his Pakistani counterpart.

Rathore said Garneau was assured, “of our fullest cooperation to evacuate any person who wants to come to Canada.”

Spoke w/@SMQureshiPTI this morning. As direct neighbour of Afghanistan, it’s important that we continue to engage Pakistan on these significant regional issues. I thanked him & the govt for its evacuation efforts, we discussed areas of cooperation to promote regional stability.

— Marc Garneau (@MarcGarneau) September 1, 2021

Pakistan’s government has said it does not want a further influx of Afghan refugees and is only hosting those seeking asylum in Pakistan temporarily.

Evacuees are being given 21-day transit visas and flown into Islamabad where they wait before continuing to Canada.

Pakistan has the longest border with Afghanistan however the Taliban control all the main land crossing points.

“We definitely know it’s a very fragile situation,” Rathore said, “and understand the anxieties of people in Afghanistan.”

Pakistan has so far evacuated nine Canadians through Islamabad.