At least 600 Afghan nationals have reportedly been arrested by Pakistani police in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan amid concerns that the refugees in the country are being hassled due to expired registration cards.
According to the local media reports, citing police authorities in Nowshera, the Afghan nationals were arrested for illegally staying in the district.
Wahid Mehmood, Nowshera district police officer, has said the arrests were made over a period of two days under the National Action Plan.
He said the Afghan nationals were among 1,100 suspects arrested by the security forces with the remaining suspects involved in for violating the tenancy laws of the country.
This comes as the United Nations urged Pakistan to resolve the status of more than 2.5 million Afghan refugees living in Pakistan whose registration cards have expired or who remain unregistered.
The Afghan refugees are complaining regarding police hassles despite their registration cards were extended in December last year.
According to reports, the issue currently lies with before Pakistan’s cabinet with UNHCR Assistant High Commissioner George Okoth-Obbo saying his agency was engaged in “continuing discussions” with the Pakistani government to resolve the population’s uncertain situation.
“We await with a lot of interest the decision of the government on those questions,” Okoth-Obbo told Reuters during a Friday visit to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, home to a large Afghan population.
Many Afghans living in Pakistan have been living in the country for decades and contribute significantly to the country’s labour force.http://www.khaama.com/600-afghans-reportedly-arrested-by-pakistani-police-in-khyber-pakhtunkhwa-0203
600 Afghans reportedly arrested by Pakistani police in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa KHAAMA PRESS – Mon Feb 29 2016
Published in Uncategorized
Comments are closed.