ISLAMABAD – Pakistan has decided to extend the stay of around 16,000 Afghan nationals on humanitarian grounds, primarily benefiting women, children and elderly individuals, the Foreign Office announced on Thursday. Speaking at the weekly media briefing, Foreign Office spokesperson Tahir Andrabi said that no Afghan national holding a valid visa or legal travel documents had been deported from Pakistan. He said that authorities are continuing to process the cases of approximately 89,000 Afghan nationals under the Immigration Framework for Relocation Programme (IFRP). The spokesperson added that the government had approved an extension of stay for nearly 16,000 Afghan women, children and elderly people on humanitarian grounds. Commenting on reports of an incident in the border areas near Chitral, Andrabi said the Foreign Office had no verified information about the matter.