PESHAWAR, June 20: Head of UNHCR sub-office, Peshawar, Ahmad Warsame on Wednesday urged Pakistani and Afghan governments and United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to get together for resolving the problems faced by 1.7 million registered Afghan refugees in Pakistan.

He said this while addressing a ceremony held here to mark the World Refugees Day at University of Peshawar, according to a news release.

The ceremony was also attended by Safron secretary Habibullah Khan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa special secretary (home) Alamgir and representative of the Afghan Refugee and Registration Ministry Abdul Hamid Jalili. Senior academia and university lecturers, refugees, UN officials and representatives of NGOs were also in attendance.

Mr Warasme urged Pakistani government to ensure protection of Afghan refugees living in the country and said law-enforcers should be stopped from unlawfully deporting them.

The Safron secretary said the government would continue fulfilling international commitments and obligations and won’t force Afghan refugees into returning home.

Speakers on the occasion discussed the new ‘Regional Solutions Strategy for Afghan Refugees’ that was endorsed by the international community at a Geneva conference last month.

They said the strategy, which called for durable solution to the problem of Afghan refugees and additional developmental assistance to areas of high refugee return inside Afghanistan, would help refugees go home and re-establish their lives.

According to them, the strategy also urges additional international support to Pakistan and Iran, which together hosted nearly four million refugees.

The speakers said one in every four refugees in the world was from Afghanistan, while Pakistan currently gave refuge to the most number of refugees and asylum seekers from other countries.

They said the UNHCR had facilitated the repatriation of more than 3.7 million Afghan refugees since 2002 and that was the world’s largest voluntary repatriation.

Opinion

Editorial

Judiciary’s SOS
Updated 28 Mar, 2024

Judiciary’s SOS

The ball is now in CJP Isa’s court, and he will feel pressure to take action.
Data protection
28 Mar, 2024

Data protection

WHAT do we want? Data protection laws. When do we want them? Immediately. Without delay, if we are to prevent ...
Selling humans
28 Mar, 2024

Selling humans

HUMAN traders feed off economic distress; they peddle promises of a better life to the impoverished who, mired in...
New terror wave
Updated 27 Mar, 2024

New terror wave

The time has come for decisive government action against militancy.
Development costs
27 Mar, 2024

Development costs

A HEFTY escalation of 30pc in the cost of ongoing federal development schemes is one of the many decisions where the...
Aitchison controversy
Updated 27 Mar, 2024

Aitchison controversy

It is hoped that higher authorities realise that politics and nepotism have no place in schools.