Camp affairs: Afghan refugees denounce sealing of shura office

Commissionerate for Afghan Refugees official says office was stopping people from paying overdue electricity bills

SWABI: Residents of an Afghan refugee camp in Gandaf, Swabi district have denounced the decision to seal their shura office that would address their woes and help maintain law and order in the area.

Speaking at a jirga on Thursday, elders of the camp voiced their reservations over Commissionerate for Afghan Refugees’ decision to seal the Islahi Shura without any prior notice.

According to the elders, Islahi Shura was set up some years ago when the government decided to stop the provision of basic amenities for Afghan refugees.

Members and officeholders of the shura are elected by the people and have been providing basic necessities to residents of the camp. They also said law-enforcement agencies maintain law and order in the camp. As a result, no major instance of violence has been reported at the camp since it was established in the 1980s.

Elders present at the jirga urged the government to review the decision and re-open the shura office.

When contacted, a Commissionerate for Afghan Refugees official, Gul Roz, said shura members were stopping people from paying electricity bills which have been long overdue. “That’s why the Commissionerate for Afghan Refugees office in Peshawar has ordered that the shura office should be sealed.”

Published in The Express Tribune, November 13^th, 2015.