NOWSHERA: The Central Committee for Afghan Refugees has appealed to the United Nations to take notice of what it termed illegal arrest of Afghan refugees following the recent wave of terrorism across Pakistan. 

During a meeting with JUI-S chief Maulana Samiul Haq on Sunday, a 13-member delegation of the committee led by Maulana Mohammad Saeed Hashmi and Haji Abdul Jabbar regretted that instead of taking action against terrorists, law enforcement agencies were arresting peaceful Afghan refugees from camps, madressahs and markets.

They claimed that the Afghan refugees were never involved in any terrorist activity in Pakistan and they always considered the country as their second home. They appreciated Pakistan and said it had always played a vital role in rehabilitating the Afghan refugees.

The delegation members requested Maulana Sami to contact the authorities and use his influence to mitigate miseries of the refugees. They strongly condemned the recent wave of terrorism in Pakistan and said that Islam or any other religion never allowed such activities. “There is no place for terrorism in Islam, which prohibits killing of innocent people.”

Maulana Sami assured the delegation that he would consult the quarters concerned and try his level best to stop injustices being committed against the Afghan refugees.

He said some countries like the United States and India could never see cordial relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan, adding that Kabul’s failure to curb terrorism could create problems for the Afghan people as well as the refugees in Pakistan.

Published in Dawn, February 27th, 2017