PESHAWAR: Both treasury and opposition members of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly on Friday flayed the police’s crackdown on Afghan nationals across the province and insisted the refugees’ ‘humiliating’ repatriation was a violation of an international tripartite agreement.

In the assembly session chaired Speaker Asad Qaisar, the lawmakers complained under the agreement made by Pakistan, Afghanistan and United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the legal stay of registered Afghans in Pakistan was to last until the end of December 2016 but the police had made the refugees’ lives miserable without reason.

They said forced repatriation would leave a deep scare on the lives of Afghans, particularly youths, who had never been to their own country.

Seek proper time for Afghan businessmen to settle disputes with local partners

The lawmakers insisted the humiliating repatriation of Afghans from Pakistan would have serious repercussion, especially when India had been offering Afghan nationals easy visas, air ticket at much lower rates and free health facilities.

They demanded that the federal government give proper time to Afghan refugees to settle financial disputes with Pakistani business partners.

The debate on the issues related to the repatriation of Afghan refugees was launched by ANP parliamentary leader Sardar Hussain Babak, who demanded investigation to know who ordered the police to harass Afghan refugees though such conduct was not the state’s policy.

“Millions of Afghans hadn’t come to Pakistan on their own. Instead, they’re made to do it,” he said.

The ANP leader said Afghans were used in the so-called ‘jihad’ against the Soviet Union and that it was not ‘jihad’ and instead it was a war for resources.

He said efforts were underway to create hatred among Pakhtuns living on both sides of the border.

He demanded that the federal government ensure Afghans’ repatriation in a civilised and respectable manner.

“Being Muslims and Pakhtuns, we have deep rooted relations with Afghans, so the provincial government should honour them,” he said.

Mr. Babak said it was wrong to put all Afghan refugees in the list of terrorists if someone among them were found involved in act of terrorism.

He said like Pakistanis, Afghans were equally affected by terrorism.

The ANP leader said it was not enough to simply blame the Indian secret service, Raw, or Afghans for terrorist activities in the country and that the question was who would arrest saboteurs.

Participating in the debate, leader of opposition Maulana Lutfur Rehman said no one could harm the relations of Pakhtuns with Afghans.

“We have the same religion, same language, same culture and same history,” he said.

The opposition leader insisted the Afghan government should be ‘allowed’ to make own policies and run its country’s affairs on its own.

Sultan Mohammad Khan of Qaumi Watan Party said Pakistan had hosted millions of Afghan refugees for decades.

“An Afghan minister told me during a visit to the US that he (Afghan minister) was more Pakistani than an Afghan as he was born in Pakistan and studied in Pakistani educational institutions,” he said.

Mr. Sultan Mohammad said if Afghans were forced into returning, then Pakistan would lose its investment in the shape of hosting refugees for around 40 years.

“It is inhuman to treat refugees so rudely,” he said.

The QWP member demanded that Washington help Kabul in Afghanistan’s rehabilitation.

He demanded that the government form a special committee of the assembly to monitor the Afghans’ repatriation and remove difficulties in the exercise.

Qurban Khan of the PTI said Afghan refugees had set up billions of rupees worth of businesses in Pakistan over the years.

“After the sudden crackdown, Afghan refugees are confused about what to do. They can’t wind up their businesses in such a short time,” he said.

Fakhar Azam Wazir and Nighat Orakzai of the PPP and Sardar Aurangzeb Nalotha of the PML-N also complained about the misery of Afghan refugees.

The house also passed the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Limitation (Amendment) Bill 2016 tabled by senior minister Inayatullah Khan, while Fakhar Azam Khan introduced the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Prohibition of Interest on Private Loans Bill 2016.

Published in Dawn, August 13th, 2016