Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: The United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) has welcomed the cabinet’s decision to extend validity of the proof of registration (PoR) cards for registered Afghan refugees until March 31, 2017, stating that the agency is in constant contact with relevant quarters in Pakistan to ensure that rights of registered refugees are protected.

UNHCR spokesperson Duniya Aslam Khan expressed these views while responding to Daily Times regarding the perspective of federal cabinet decision of granting further three-month extension in Afghan refugees stay in Pakistan.

She said that this extension would bring much needed relief to anxious Afghan refugees. “UNHCR will continue to seek international support and work with the government to ensure that rights of registered Afghan refugees are fully protected in Pakistan,” she added.

On reports of harassment by law enforcement agencies, Khan said that the office of UNHCR in Pakistan was aware of the difficult situation some Afghans were facing, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. “We are closely monitoring the situation and our office is in contact with all relevant government authorities at federal and provincial levels to ensure that the rights of registered Afghan refugees are protected,” she mentioned.

Khan said UNHCR recognises that in many cases, unlawful police actions against Afghan refugees were the acts of individuals who took matters into their own hands. “We appreciate and welcome initiative of the KP inspector general for setting up helpline numbers for refugees to report incidents of harassment. More assertive actions are required from the authorities to prevent unlawful and discriminatory treatment of Afghan refugees at the hands of law enforcement personnel,” she added.

The federal cabinet on Friday granted a further three-month extension to the stay of registered Afghan refugees in the country, permitting them to live in Pakistan till March 31, 2017.

According to UNHCR estimation, around three million Afghan refugees were living in Pakistan with half of them being unregistered. Doubling the cash grant from $200 to $400 per individual for voluntary returnees by UNHCR and certain initiatives taken by Pakistan side including supply of free wheat to the relocated camps for three years.

According to UNHCR, around 100,000 refugees returned to Afghanistan over the past couple of months, which was the highest number of returnees since Taliban were ousted from power in the war-torn country.

“We would not allow Afghan refugees living in Pakistan to be harassed in any way. They are our guests and their return plans would be decided in a way that does not create any negative impression in the minds of people living on both sides of the border,” Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said in the cabinet meeting on Friday.

The government had earlier in June extended the stay of PoR cardholding Afghan refugees till Dec 31, 2016. The government has extended the deadline on the request of United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi, who asked the government during his visit to Pakistan in June to extend the stay of the Afghan refugees in the country for another three years. The government however told him that it could not host the Afghan refugees for another three years due to security and economic reasons. The Pakistani authorities informed him that Afghan refugees were involved in terrorist and criminal activities as well as smuggling.

Grandi, during his visit, praised Pakistan for hosting Afghan refugees and urged the international community to extend cooperation to Pakistan and the UNHCR to address the refugee’s issue. He said that refugees were an internationally shared responsibility and the world needed to address this issue.