ISLAMABAD: Afghan President Hamid Karzai has told a group of Pakistanis who crossed the western border after being displaced as a result of the military operation in North Waziristan that they are “in their own country”.
In July, the UNHCR said more than 75,000 had sought shelter in the Khost and Paktika provinces of Afghanistan following Operation Zarb-e-Azb. Later, UNHCR and Afghan authorities claimed nearly 100,000 people had arrived in Afghanistan.
However, Ministry of State and Frontier Regions quickly rejected Kabul’s claim, denying that 100,000 people had sought refuge in the neighbouring country.
Of the nearly one million people displaced by the operation, most have been residing in Bannu, DI Khan and Kohat among other districts of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.
Hosting the displaced persons at the Presidential Palace on Sunday, Karzai assured them of provision of all facilities. “You are at your own homes and you will live here like owners,” a statement released from the Presidential Palace on Monday quoted Karzai as saying.
The Afghan president assured the displaced tribesmen that his government will take care of education and health along with other requirements and facilities for their children.
Pakistani officials say many people from North Waziristan who crossed into Afghanistan have now started returning.
Senior official at the Ministry of States and Frontier Regions Tariq Hayat Khan, who is also the focal person for IDPs, said the displaced people are coming back through Kurram Agency.
He added some families had crossed the border in Khost as Miranshah and Bannu had been off limits due to the curfew when the operation started. He claimed those who have returned from Afghanistan are getting the same facilities as the other displaced persons.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 2nd, 2014.
COMMENTS (12)
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maybe Karzai and afghanistan have become pretty strong now so they should take their refugees back now and most of the idps have returned as my uncle told me but not sure who remained behind..
@Sri Varahadev: Yeah. Never going to happen.
Pashtoons in both Afg and Pak curse Karzai daily. I doubt these tribals are from Pakistan, maybe they are TTP and other puppets of India. Southern Afghanistan is off limits to Karzai government.
i am pathan..and we are not dominated by punjabis...they are our brothers..we like them as much as we like sindhis,baluchis...we don't like afghanistan at all....so be wise before you decide to open a pandora box
It's pathetic the displaced people were not allowed in Punjab and Sindh.
@Sri Varahadev Very strange for an Indian to be commenting on Durand line. What business have you got there?
Afghans have been crossing into Pakistan without any papers/visa. Mr. Karzai knows this too well that he is a puppet. He just cahsed in on a situation. If Pathan`s need to be liberated from Pakistan under this kind of context, then South indians also need to be liberared since they dont speak Hinid and have a big linguistic problem.
Karzai must be recalling the hospitality of Pakistan when he and his family sought shelter in Pakistan.
Can Mr Karzai also give a dinner for the 3m Afghan's living (mostly illegally) in Pakistan?
Very correct of President Karzai to say to say to the Pathan’s / Pushtun’s displaced by the Punjabi dominated Army of Pakistan,” You are at your own homes and you will live here like owners”. After all the “Durand Line” is an unjust line drawn by colonial Britain and its existence is an unfinished business of the partition of the Indian Sub-Continent. India must use all its consulates in Afghanistan to work to liberate Pathan’s living under Punjabi domination in Pakistan.
Karzai, not Pakistan friendly person.
Nice to hear such things .