Temporary relief: Repatriation deadline extended in South Waziristan

DI KHAN: The political administration of South Waziristan Agency has extended the repartition deadline to November 15 for unregistered Afghan refugees. They have ordered the relevant departments to inform the refugees that they can stay in the region till November 15. The deadline was announced in a jirga in Wana. Earlier, the political administration of South Waziristan Agency had given the Afghan refugees a week’s deadline to evacuate the area.

“No Afghan-refugees shall be forced to leave, we have given them an extension to show that we care for them,” said an official of the political administration. “So far, 10 families have returned to Afghanistan voluntarily,” the official added. The decision to extend the deadline spread a wave of happiness among the Afghan refugees.

“I am happy with the deadline extension as it gives us more time to prepare for repatriation,” said Nimat Gul, an Afghan-refugee settled in Wacha Khura.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 17^th, 2016.