Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: The Foreign Office has urged the Afghan government to release as many as 1,400 Pakistani families held hostage by Kabul.

This was disclosed by a senior official of the States and Frontier Region Ministry in a meeting of the National Assembly’s Standing Committee on SAFRON at the Parliament House. The meeting was chaired by Jamaluddin and attended by officials of the ministry, FATA Secretariat and political agents of South Waziristan Agency and Khyber Agency.

SAFRON Ministry official Tariq Hayat said that Pak-Afghan relations are tense and due to this Afghan government has refused to send back Pakistani refugees and there are reports that they had been made hostage. As many as 1,400 families moved from Waziristan to Afghanistan during Operation Zarb-e-Azb. He added that some families were relatives of banned terrorist outfit Tehreek-e-Taliban.

He said, “We are ready to take them back but the Afghan government is not cooperating.”

He made it clear that NGOs cannot be allowed to work in FATA as maintaining law and order is the responsibility of security agencies. He also said in the past several NGOs were involved in anti-state activities after which they were black listed. NGOs cannot be allowed to work in FATA until they get security clearance, he added.

The committee members demanded that the army and federal government give safe passage to the refugees staying in Afghanistan and register them in Pakistan while Afghan refugees should not be forced to go back to their country.

Committee Chairman Jamaluddin announced that if the federal government did not take steps for the return of Pakistani refugees from Afghanistan then he would go to Afghanistan with the committee members for their early return.

The committee hailed the army’s role in rehabilitation of internally displaced persons. It also requested the army not to indulge in the financial matters.

FATA secretary told the committee that Rs 20 billion were allocated for the development of FATA while FATA reforms have been announced.

He said that due to extraordinary situation various affairs of FATA have been handed over to the army and once the situation becomes normal the army’s role will be decreased in the area.