Council demands extension in stay of Afghans refugees

While narrating the ordeals of Afghans refugees residing in different parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, members of the Central Shura of Afghan Refugees have demanded the extension in their stay in Pakistan and urged both Pakistan and Afghanistan governments to mutually resolve the issues of Afghan refugees.
Baryal Miankhel, Chairman of the United Afghan Supreme Council, a body of Afghans living in various refugee camps in KP while addressing at a news conference at Peshawar Press Club on Tuesday said that a large number of Afghan refugees were living in Pakistan for four decades with dignity.
He said Afghan refugees were not facing problems rather they were moving freely in Pakistan after obtaining the registration card from Islamabad. He said that a huge number of Afghan refugees were having various properties and business related deals with Pakistanis including owners of brick kilns and they have to return the agreed money."If Afghans are given some extension our children will be able to complete their education and make arrangements for residences in their mother country because most of them have no proper resources to have houses, source of income in the hometowns," he observed.
Flanked by other members of the council Haji Dost Muhammad, Rahmat Samim, Muhammad Noor Ahmadzai, Shinwari Nasrullah Betab, Haji Said Agha, Malik Ghulam Sakhi, and others recalled that Pakistan, Afghanistan and UNHCR had once agreed to register all Afghans. However, he regretted the process was yet to be initiated, saying that everyone wanted to return home but they had some serious problems and need support on part of the stakeholders.
The council Chairman demanded governments of both the countries to form an independent and empowered committee comprising representative from both the countries to resolve the issues of Afghan refugees. They said large number of Afghan refugees even did not own any property in Afghanistan.
Terming the current tension between Pakistan and Afghanistan, as a conspiracy being hatched by third hand, Baryal Miankhel said both the neighbouring countries had brotherly relations on basis of belief, culture, traditions and no force could detach them from each other.
He said that traders' community had suffered losses worth billions due to Pak-Afghan border closure. He requested the Pakistani authorities to reopen the border, and to facilitate Afghan students studying in various universities and colleges in Pakistan so that they could complete their studies.