Hosting refugees: UN high commissioner thanks Pakistan

UN High Commissioner for Refugees stresses the importance of protective space for Afghan refugees in Pakistan.

LORALAI: UN High Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Guterres has thanked Pakistan and its people for hosting Afghan refugees for more than three decades. On the last leg of his three-day trip to Pakistan, Guterres and Minister for States and Frontier Regions Abdul Qadir Baloch visited the Loralai district. In his meeting with the authorities, Guterres stressed the importance of protective space for Afghan refugees in Pakistan in light of the challenging transition in Afghanistan. There are around 1.6 million Afghan refugees residing in Pakistan, UNHCR says. The high commissioner assured his support in the form of projects that will be implemented under the refugee-affected and hosting areas (RAHA) initiative throughout Pakistan, including Balochistan.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 2^nd, 2014.