Daily Times

U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres on Sunday began a three-day visit to Pakistan by urging the international community to support countries that continue to host millions of refugees from war-shattered Afghanistan.

Guterres is in Islamabad for meetings with Pakistani leaders and to deliver a keynote address to an international conference Monday marking 40 years of hosting of Afghan refugees in Pakistan and Iran, one of the world’s largest and longest-standing refugee populations.

“My fist meeting in Pakistan: generations of Afghan refugees shared their deeply moving stories, hopes & dreams,” Guterres tweeted after his interaction with representatives of the displaced population in the Pakistani capital. “For 40 years, Pakistan has sheltered Afghan refugees. I urge the world to support host countries and show similar leadership in standing with refugees,” he added.

The U.N. chief’s visit comes amid renewed hopes a United States-led peace initiative could help bring an end to the deadly Afghan war, which continues to cause more displacements and civilian sufferings.

It was also stated that globally the ongoing conflict in Syria was producing the highest number of refugees, while the Afghan refugees in south-west Asia remained the world’s most protracted refugee population, with 95 per cent of this population being in Pakistan and Iran.

The bulk of Afghan refugees is still concentrated in Pakistan and Iran, but many have repatriated in the last decade because of the establishment of an interim government in Afghanistan.

Pakistan, in collaboration with the UNHCR, is organising the international conference on February 17 and 18 to mark the 40-year-long stay of hundreds of thousands of Afghan refugees in the country.