The Minister of Refugees and Repatriation Sayed Husain Alemi Balkhi on Sunday told the Meshrano Jirga (Upper House of Parliament) that Pakistan is using Afghan refugees as a political tool.
In addition, he said, almost 8,000 refugees are returning to Afghanistan from Iran and Pakistan on a daily basis.
He said despite government’s attempts to accommodate these return refugees, efforts have not been enough and that his ministry will continue to address the challenge.
“The situation of our refugees in Pakistan has been affected by political issues and relations between the two countries. Pakistan’s behavior against Afghan refugees in that country is mostly rooted in a political stance and Kabul-Islamabad ties,” Balkhi told senators.
Meanwhile, a number of senators raised questions about the plight of Afghan refugees in Pakistan and what they called government’s inattention to the matter.
“Refugees have returned to the country, but government has failed to provide them with decent living conditions,” said Mohammad Alam Ezedyar, a member of Meshrano Jirga.
“The Afghan refugees are not returning voluntarily; they are returning to the country following pressure by the Pakistani government,” said Senator Nisar Haris.
The deputy minister of Hajj and Religious Affairs, Daee-ul-Haq Abid, who was also summoned to answer questions, said there are 160,000 mosques in the country but only 47,000 of them are registered at the ministry. www.tolonews.com/en/afghanistan/27454-pakistan-using-afghan-refugees-as-a-political-tool-minister
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