PESHAWAR: The elders of Afghan refugees have expressed concern over police raids in different localities to deport the people and demanded of the government of Pakistan to avoid sending them back to Afghanistan till completion of the academic session of their children.

Talking to mediapersons here on Thursday, member of the Afghan Shura, including Dr Riaz Sherafzai, Dr Sharafat, Haji Ghufran, Mohammad Ali and Tooryali, said that they considered Pakistan as their second home, but the way the Afghan nationals were forced to leave the country was humiliating.

“We want to go back, but our children are yet to complete their academic session in different educational institutions in Pakistan and they need to stay at least to appear in their examinations,” said the elders.

Dr Riaz said that Afghan refugees stayed in Pakistan for about three decades and they loved the country so much that they were not in a mood to move anywhere else, but even then if the government wanted to expel them it should devise a plan to facilitate them.

He said that shelter, ration and other basic facilities should be ensured to them otherwise the people would be unable to bear the harsh cold weather in Afghanistan.

“The weather conditions in Afghanistan are very harsh and most of the Afghanis have no shelter to live and will suffer a lot due to lack of resources,” he feared and suggested that both the governments in consultation with the UNHCR should make arrangements so that they could return honourably.

Dr Riaz said that Afghan people stayed here as guests for such a long period and Pakistanis had held them in high esteem by extending all possible assistance. However, in case they were forced to leave in haste it might cause hatred between the people of the two countries.

Similarly, Peace for Pakistan and Afghanistan chairman Raayatullah Khan also demanded of the government to avoid arrest of Afghan nationals and let them live in Pakistan as millions of children were born and grown up here and they had buried bodies of their relatives in local graveyards.

He said that police should stop action against Afghan nationals as most of them possessed their proof of registration (PoR) cards.

Published in Dawn, January 23rd, 2015

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