April 18, 2006	Tuesday	Rabi-ul-Awwal 19, 1427

Please Visit our Sponsor (Ads open in separate window).

PESHAWAR, April 17: Chief Minister Akram Khan Durrani has called for a concrete plan to ensure peaceful and voluntary return of Afghan refugees to their homeland.

He was talking to federal Minister for State and Frontier Region Yar Mohammad Rind at the Frontier House here on Monday. The meeting also discussed the return of Afghans to their homeland.

Commissioner Afghan refugees Sahibzada Anees and officials of ministry of SAFRON were also present on this occasion.

The meeting put forward proposals to devise a policy for Afghans’ return, get a strategy from the federal government, identify steps to be taken by the provincial government in light of the strategy, persuading Afghans to leave and provision of more grants to people for construction of houses, schools and health care centres in Afghanistan.

Mr Durrani said that the people of the NWFP offered tremendous sacrifices by sharing their resources with Afghans.

He said the international community had promised to concentrate on the development of the NWFP and Balochistan in addition to the reconstruction of Afghanistan. “But, these pledges were neglected after 30 years and the people of the NWFP as well as Balochistan were left in the lurch”, he maintained.

Mr Durrani said that more than three million Afghans were still present in the country. The provincial and federal governments should work out a joint plan to ensure return of the refugees, he added.

Reconstruction process in Afghanistan must be completed keeping in mind the provision of basic facilities to people, such as education, health care and employment opportunities”, he said.

“Merely $200 would not solve the problems of Afghan refugees; rather, they would come back to Pakistan after getting the funds in Afghanistan”, he stated.

The chief minister pointed out that some miscreants wanted to create misunderstanding between the people of Pakistan and Afghanistan.

“A neighbouring country is making all out efforts to create hatred between Pakistanis and Afghans”, he said, adding: “We should adopt a mild attitude, instead of harsh manners, in order to persuade Afghans to return to their country”.