Islamabad, May 20, 2022 (PPI-OT): Federal Minister for Human Rights Mian Riaz Hussain Pirzada had a meeting with Ms. Noriko Yoshida, Country Representative of United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Pakistan, today in his office in Islamabad. Secretary Human Rights and other senior officers were also present in this meeting. UNHCR Representative conversed in detail over the issues of 1.8 Million Afghan refugees in Pakistan.
She commended the generous efforts of a developing country like Pakistan that has been hosting such a huge number of refugees for last four decades. She acclaimed that Pakistan has allowed every facility to Afghan refugees particularly of health and education just parallel to its own citizens.
She admitted that even vaccination facility during Covid-19 pandemic was extended to the refugees that was praised all over the world. Furthermore, she stressed upon few concerns for the Afghan refugees that were restoration of issuance of birth certificates and adoption of asylum laws by the government of Pakistan. She said that policies have been shifted drastically in the new set-up in Afghanistan after Taliban’s take over in 2021.
Due to this, an alarming surge has been observed in the issue of statelessness. She asked for maximum support and attention from the minister on these issues. In his response, Minister for Human Rights said that Afghans enjoy maximum freedom in Pakistan especially they are free to move throughout the country without any restrictions. He said that people of Pakistan and Afghanistan have very strong cultural affinity.
Pakistan is like a second home for majority of Afghans and we have been hosting them for forty years despite our limited resources. He stated that thousands of people are crossing boarders daily for trade and livelihood and Pakistan has never imposed ban on their movement.
He further assured that the Ministry of Human Rights would coordinate soon with other two major stakeholders i.e., Ministry of SAFRON and interior in these issues. While concluding, minister said that Afghanistan has multiple problems due to ethnic disputes among tribes that is major cause of sufferings for people over there.
India, our hostile neighbour, is hiring innocent people in Afghanistan for its own vested interests and creating security issues in Pakistan. It has been resulted in some policy changes for boarders and Afghan refugees yet we stand by our commitments towards our Afghan brethren and Pakistan will keep supporting Afghanistan on all fronts for its stability and peace.
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