Afghanistan rejects repatriation deadline extension
Pakistan now faces a fresh dilemma over the fate of more than two million Afghan refugees – still the biggest number of refugees in a country – as Kabul has rejected Islamabad’s decision to grant a six-month extension in their legal stay in Pakistan.
Pakistan had issued Proof of Registration (PoR) cards to Afghan refugees which were to expire on December 31, 2012. However, last week Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf announced the extension following the Pakistan, Afghanistan and UNHCR tripartite agreement on repatriation of Afghan refugees.
Presently, 1.6 million registered and nearly one million unregistered Afghans are residing in Pakistan, according to the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) and Pakistani officials.
A committee led by Minister for States and Frontier Regions (Safron), Engr Shaukatullah, will monitor the repatriation of refugees, said a government statement issued after the extension was granted following demands by both the Afghan government and UNHCR.
Both are not ready to deal with the repatriation of such a big number of refugees to a country where some 150,000 people are fighting the Taliban.
Pakistan’s decision was good news for Afghan refugees. Many of them are still unwilling to go back on the plea that there is instability and lack of economic opportunities in their homeland. Some parents say their children, born and brought up in Pakistan, are unaware of even the language and culture of Afghanistan.
“We will not go back and will resist any move of expulsion,” said Malik Suhrab Khan, head of the Sohrab Goth Afghan refugee camp in Karachi. “We will prefer to die in Pakistan rather than go back to Afghanistan.”
He added that around 80,000 refugees are living in the camp for over 20 years.
A group of Afghan refugees at the Bagheecha camp near Mardan held the same view and hoped Pakistan will not end its long hospitality towards Afghans.
Abdul Wali Kakar, a representative of Afghan refugees ‘shura’ or council in Punjab, welcomed Pakistan’s decision but demanded a three-year extension in the expiry of PoR cards.
Afghan Ambassador in Islamabad, Umar Daudzai, said Afghanistan strongly opposes any move to forcibly expel the refugees. “Islamabad has assured Kabul that refugees will not be forced to leave as any such step would be contrary to the spirit of neighbourhood.”
UNHCR was also quick to welcome Pakistan’s decision, but Afghanistan says six months is not enough and that the prime minister did not fulfil his promise for a longer extension.
Representative of UNHCR in Pakistan, Neill Wright said: “While the six-month extension is important, Afghan refugees will be left wondering what the future has in store for them in July 2013 and beyond. UNHCR will therefore continue to encourage the government to maintain asylum space in the challenging transitional period ahead.”
However, Afghan Minister for Refugees and Repatriation affairs Dr Jamahir Anwari termed Pakistan’s decision “unilateral and unjustifiable,” reported Afghanistan’s state news agency Bakhtar.
“The decision of the Pakistani government to extend the residence permit of Afghan refugees for six months breaches the previous agreement,” Anwari was quoted as saying.
He also said that during the tripartite talks between Afghanistan, UNHCR and Pakistan’s government held in Lahore on December 7 and 8, Afghanistan called for a three-year extension and the Pakistani prime minister promised to refer the case to the parliament.
The UNHCR has mentioned a surge in voluntary repatriation since October 2012, and noted a 40% increase compared with 2011.
UNHCR says Pakistan is committed to implementation of the Solutions Strategy for Afghan Refugees between 2012 and 2014. The strategy includes a second phase of the Refugee Affected and Hosting Areas initiative that requires projects worth $495 million to assist communities that have hosted refugees in Pakistan.
These projects focus on infrastructure development, water and sanitation, health, education, environment and livelihood in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan, Sindh, Punjab and Fata.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 22nd, 2012.
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First we thanking Allah on any situations,if we are in this condition that we are in our brother's land and since from 30 years.If we are facing difficulties that we can't go to our own land everything result cause are for our deeds which we done.
About 30 years ago, me and my all family are living in Pakistan,but time by time we prepare ourselves to return Afghanistan but situation still there is not suitable. There is order from Allah if in living country there will be war,we should migrate to other country where there will be peace and justice, why not if that country rulers are not Muslim.
We know the situations here in Pakistan,many much difficulties there than past years,special of security problems.I know many Pakistani brothers and sisters feeling we are burden on Pakistan now,many times this say keep us for thinking. Me and my all relatives are hand made carpet business which we weave and prepare for sell,and after ready due to expansiveness mostly 95% of these carpets are goes to export for foreign countries.As i know from weave to ready and until export more than 15 labors earn money from each single carpet.Like this mostly of our refugee brothers are engaged many types of business.
This time in Pakistan there are more than 15 TV channels,but in everyday news there is no news about crime relating to refugees.i not say all refugees are angels but say there will be very very less and it is exactly say nearby 100% refugees are in think to live in peace.
Dear brothers,Please wait for more some time and keep courage.On head you know there will be pull out NATO forces till 2014.so let see the situation afterwards. Anyway we beg Almighty Allah to make bless,and bring peace,prosperity and happiness in Pakistan ,Afghanistan and also for whole world in coming years. Insha Allah.
My English is week,but hope everyone who have seen my comment are understood.
@Muhammad: How much control of Pakistan do you think the Pakistani Government has? You may not know this but the Pashtun population of Pakistan drives a lot of the foreign and domestic policy. Put it this way, through a variety of means.
The Pakistiani government can't take care of it's own people, why did they extend the deadline?
UNHCR (wolf in sheep skin), has no consideration towards financial difficulties, cultural disaster, ethnic n religious n security problems Pakistan facing from last 20-years. On one side per say 1.6 registered n 1-million (actual figure may be 3-million) UN-registered Afghan refugees already in Pakistan boundaries n how many come n go freely can't even count. Iranian Balochi refugees (if we call them merged in local community) unaccounted, Afghan Pashtoon, so called guests in unknown numbers living with local communities, so called Karachi refugees (from 1947-48) till today never declare themselves sons/daughters of Pak-land, interesting ex-East Pakistan another lot wish to move in as refugees. Woh, if this human flood continue like this, soon real sons/daughters of Pak-land will see themselves as Phalistinean n their homes, land, jobs, business, government, leaders n what not be taken over by refugees. Pakistan government n public must wakeup from rabbit sleep.