Afghanistan hosts a protracted population of Pakistani refugees, who fled North Waziristan Agency (NWA) in 2014 as a result of military operations which left the civilian population of Miranshah and surrounding villages forcibly displaced. As of 30 September 2017, UNHCR has biometrically registered more than 51,000 refugees in Khost province. In 2016, UNHCR verified the registration of almost 36,000 refugees in Paktika province, where access remains a challenge on account of insecurity as anti-government elements (AGEs) control or contest a substantial amount of territory. UNHCR has received unconfirmed reports that Pakistani refugees may be among the civilian casualties resulting from cross-border shelling, and armed conflict between pro-government forces and AGEs in Afghanistan. Cultural barriers also impact on efforts to comprehensively register the refugee population, especially women. Based on focus group discussions and key informants, UNHCR estimates that at least 100,000 refugees from NWA remain in Afghanistan. Some 16,440 refugees receive shelter and other essential services in the Gulan camp in Khost province, while most live alongside Afghan host communities in various urban and rural locations. NWA refugees benefit from the generous hospitality of provincial Afghan government authorities and the general population, due in part to tribal affiliations, as well as a shared understanding of the trauma of forced displacement. During participatory shura meetings, most refugees have stated they are currently unwilling to repatriate to Pakistan, including refugees who have undertaken independent visits to NWA to assess for themselves the conditions of return. UNHCR does not have the necessary permission of the Government of Pakistan to monitor refugee returns in NWA or to support sustainable reintegration. UNHCR Afghanistan, in coordination with other humanitarian agencies, provides targeted assistance to persons with specific needs (PSN) among the NWA refugee population in Khost and Paktika provinces, and implements community-based protection measures to build the resilience of refugees as well as the host population, promoting peaceful co-existence through livelihoods initiatives, shelter, development of knowledge, healthcare, nutrition, WASH projects, and NFI distributions. The primary source of income among refugees is non-agricultural daily-wage labour, while some refugees subsist on remittances from relatives working abroad in other countries. More available here:
https://data2.unhcr.org/en/documents/details/60896 
