Al Jazeera's Imtiaz Tyab, reporting from Peshawar, addresses the December 2012 expiration of refugee status for Afghans in neighbouring Pakistan.

Tyab says Islamabad has found itself in a "very sticky situation" since 2009, when the expiration date was first established.

Our correspondent says the Pakistani government "have been dragging their heels" due to a combination of international pressure against any possible repatriation of up to three million refugees and Pakistan's own internal troubles - terrorism, increased violence, a suffering economy, and natural disasters.