Daily Times

PESHAWAR: The recent border management initiatives taken by Pakistani authorities at Pak-Afghan border at Torkham have increased the miseries of Afghan nationals seeking entry to Pakistan for medical treatment.

Janan Khan, 40, hailing from Afghanistan, while holding bags full of medicines outside a private hospital in Hayatabad locality said, “My wife is under treatment here in Peshawar, however, she was not allowed at Torkham and I had no other option except to send her back”.

“I came to discuss her condition with the doctor and the doctor prescribed medicine for her,” Janan said. However, he added the doctor told him that the patient must be brought on next visit. Janan’s wife is suffering from cancer. Janan Khan remained in Pakistan for 40 years and soon repatriated to his home country.

The skirmishes between Pakistani and Afghan forces in June at Torkham led to the erection of a gate at the border and proper screening of all those entering Pakistan. All those having no visa or Proof of Registration Card are not being allowed to enter Pakistan.

Since March 2002, UNHCR has been facilitating the return of approximately 3.9 million registered Afghans from Pakistan but around 1.6 million Afghan remain in Pakistan, the second largest refugee population in the world.

Yaseen Kaliwal, an afghan student while talking to Daily Times said that most of the Afghan patients return from Torkham border due to lack of legal travel documents, adding that almost all the patients are in dire need of treatment.

He maintained that one of his relatives, who was not permitted by Pakistani border officials to enter Pakistan, died few days later. Before the incident of Torkahm border, Afghans patients were getting their treatment in Peshawar and majority of them was visiting private clinics of the city.

Dr Saud Khan, a doctor who works at a private hospital said a sharp decline has been witnessed in the number of Afghan patients visiting private health facilities of the city. He said that only 10 per cent Afghan patients now visit their hospital. “They are only those people who have valid visa and Proof of Registration cards. The decrease in Afghan patients has also affected the medicine business in the provincial metropolis. He further informed that private hospitals were facing financial crunch and many of these hospital management have started to cut their staff.

Naeem Khan, a taxi driver, said that few months earlier when Afghans were free to roam around in the city, he was able to earn around Rs 3000 on a daily basis but now the situation is quite depressing.