36,000 Afghan refugee families to get Rs12,000 from UNHCR, says Afridi

PM Imran putting in maximum effort to help out the stranded Afghan refugees, says minister for SAFRON

ISLAMABAD: Minister for SAFRON and Narcotics Control Shehryar Khan Afridi on Saturday said that the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has decided to "replicate" the Ehsaas Programme under which 36,000 families of Afghan refugees in Pakistan trapped due to lockdown would be provided Rs12,000 each.

Addressing a gathering of Afghan refugees in Islamabad after distributing food packages to 1,500 families in I-12 sector, Afridi said that in the second phase, UNHCR plans to distribute Rs12,000 to each family among 100,000 families.

Afridi said that "good news" were coming from Afghanistan about the peace process and Pakistan was at the forefront in facilitating the talks which would help in bringing peace in the war-torn country.



He said that soon intra-Afghan peace talks could resume which would lay the basis for peace and development of the region.

Minister for SAFRON and Narcotics Control Shehryar Khan Afridi says UNHCR plans to distribute Rs12,000 to each family among 100,000 families in the second phase. PHOTO: EXPRESS

He said the restoration of peace in Afghanistan would help dignified repatriation of Afghan refugees to their own country.

He said that Prime Minister Imran Khan was putting in maximum effort to help out the stranded refugees.

"Now it is up to the world nations and the UNHCR to immediately divert funds towards food supplies for the trapped refugees," he added.



Afridi said that PM Imran had even raised voice at international forums for helping out the refugees trapped in the lockdown.

He expressed his gratitude to the governments of China and Japan for allocating funds to the UNHCR. He said that China, like a true friend, had decided to provide food packages to Afghan refugees.

He said that despite intrigues and conspiracies, Pak-Afghan friendship would further strengthen, adding that Pakistan government would keep supporting the refugees despite financial difficulties.