Afghan refugees: Jhagra hints at granting citizenship to refugee elders

LAHORE: Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Governor Iqbal Zafar Jhagra hinted on Sunday that Afghan refugee elders living in Pakistan since the last three decades may be granted citizenship. He also reiterated that all stakeholders were consulted before the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) reforms were finalised.

The governor was speaking at a function organised by PML-N media coordinator Muhammad Mehdi in Lahore on Sunday. The governor said, “Elders of the Afghan refugees that have been living in Pakistan for more than three decades and have developed relationships through inter-marriages may be granted a citizenship”.

The K-P governor also urged the government to grant a ‘grace period’ to the refugees so that they could wrap their businesses in the country.

In response to a question regarding border management, Jhagra said that the system was introduced after some forces tried to create a tense situation at the Torkham border by martyring two paratroopers stationed there. He added that the system also allows checking cross-border movement of the terrorists.

While talking about the Fata reforms, Jhagra said, “Tribal elders, youth, political parties, as well as media representatives were consulted in separate meetings by the Sartaj Aziz-led committee before submitting its report.”

He revealed that all the stakeholders were given four options – making Fata an independent province, merging the area with K-P, a Gilgit-Baltistan style status or maintaining the status quo, he said.

The majority, Jhagra said, favoured Fata’s merger with K-P on the condition that the FCR should be changed but maintaining the Jirga tradition.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 17^th, 2017.