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WEEKLY
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| Each IDP has a human face |
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Sunday, June 21, 2009
Saadia Khalid
Islamabad
Pakistan has been extending full support to Afghan refugees since the past three decades despite not signing the convention on the status of refugees.
These remarks were made by speakers at a seminar on the ‘Plight of Refugees & Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs)’ held here on Saturday by the Society for Human Rights & Prisoners Aid (Sharp).
June 20 is commemorated as the World Refugee Day all over the world and this year’s theme is ‘Real People, Real Need’. The speakers at the seminar emphasised the real needs of the displaced persons, and also paid tribute to the martyrs of the cause and all those who have been displaced due to this conflict.
On the occasion, Ambassador of Afghanistan Gulab Majnoon said it is a time of enormous global uncertainty, especially so for millions of refugees and displaced people uprooted by conflict and persecution. “They have lost not only their livelihoods and homes, but also their loved ones, friends, communities and countries,” he said.
Quoting the statistics of refugees in Pakistan, Director Sharp Qaiser Siddiqui said more than 42 million refugees and IDPs worldwide were recorded at the end of 2008 while their number has grown significantly since the beginning of this year. “In places such as Pakistan, more than 2.4 million IDPs have been displaced. Although this is a huge number, each and every one of them has a human story to tell,” he said.
Chairman Sharp Liaquat Banori said the refugees are not faceless statistics, rather they are real people just like us, who, through no fault of their own, have lost everything. “Those who work with refugees are struggling more than ever to meet even the most basic needs of those displaced,” he said.
Senior Protection Officer UNHCR Yoko Akasaska said the World Refugee Day is a good time to remember the 42 million uprooted people around the world, who are still waiting to return to their homes. “They are among the most vulnerable people on earth and helping them must be a priority,” she said and added that UNHCR offices worldwide have prepared a wide range of activities for the World Refugee Day. She was content to note that the same is being celebrated in Pakistan as well.
Ambassador of Belgium to Pakistan Hans Christian Kint said the World Refugee Day is an opportunity to reach out to the refugees, be open minded and welcoming, listen to their stories — in particular the dangers they have escaped, and recognise and celebrate the values they bring to our communities.
Representatives of Afghan and Somali children also performed their national anthems and cultural shows, and appealed to the international community, media, government and civil society to respect their human rights and dignity.
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ISSN 1563-9479 
