Pakistan

Registering refugees: Afghans won’t be forced out, says Khattak

K-P and Afghanistan also agreed on the revival of Pak-Afghan Peace Jirga

Our Correspondent March 16, 2015

An Afghan refugee woman, clad in a burqa, sits with her sleeping boy as they wait with others to be repatriated to Afghanistan, at the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) office on the outskirts of Peshawar, February 2, 2015. PHOTO: REUTERS

PESHAWAR:

The Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) government and Afghanistan on Monday agreed that Afghan refugees will not be sent back to their home country by force.

According to a statement issued after a meeting between Afghan Ambassador to Pakistan Janan Mosazai and K-P Chief Minister Pervaiz Khattak, Speaker Asad Qaiser and prominent political leaders of the province, both the sides agreed on registration of refugees.

K-P and Afghanistan also agreed on the revival of Pak-Afghan Peace Jirga, mechanism to boost trade, transport and provision of better health facilities to Afghan patients in Pakistan.

Leader of Opposition in K-P Assembly Maulana Lutfur Rehman, QWP leader Sikandar Sherpao, provincial ministers Shahram Tarakai, Inayatullah Khan, Mushtaq Ghani and other lawmakers were present in the meeting.

The Afghan ambassador said a delegation of Afghan military officers will visit Peshawar and Quetta soon to forge cooperation against terrorists.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 17^th, 2015.

COMMENTS (2)

A J Khan | 9 years ago | Reply This is an unending process. It all started in 1979 and this influx is still on. When there is a democratically elected government in place, ISAF and NATO has declared victories and peace has been restored. Billions of Dollars have been invested by West and East in development, then what is the problem. In my personal opinion , those who discourage repatriation of Afghan Refugees are no friends of these people. They are living miserable life without dignity. If they put in same effort in their own country they will lead a dignified life and chances of doing well. Refugees has become a source of earning for Pakistani Bureaucracy as well as UNHCR officials but the brunt is being faced by Refugees and citizens of Pakistan. It is a bad decision and once again Pakistan Government has invested in failure.

Rex Minor | 9 years ago | Reply The right step in the right direction!! Why did it take so long for a small step? G ood luck. Rex Minor

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