Protest in Pakistan as Afghan refugees wait 18 months for US Visas

Afghan refugees hold placards during a protest in Islamabad, Pakistan (Rahmat Gul/AP)

Hundreds of Afghan refugees facing extreme delays in the approval of US visas protested in Pakistan’s capital on Sunday.

The US government’s Priority 1 and Priority 2, known as P1 and P2, refugee programmes were meant to fast track visas for at-risk Afghans including journalists and rights activists after the Taliban takeover in their homeland.