UNHCR urged to expedite Afghans’ repatriation

CM laments resources reserved for people of province being spent on immigrants

Sindh’s chief minister has underscored the importance of sending Afghan refugees back to their country for improving the law and order situation of the province.

“Sindh has been hosting registered and unregistered Afghan refugees for the past 37 years,” Murad Ali Shah reminded a delegation that called on him at the CM House on Thursday. “But now their repatriation should be expedited in view of certain issues, including law and order.”

The delegation was led by United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Indrika Ratwattee, while Shah was accompanied by the police chief, the principal secretary and the home secretary.

The CM told the delegation that Sindh had been spending a lot of resources on the refugees that were meant for the people of the province.

He said the apex committee, the highest forum to implement the National Action Plan in the province, had decided to repatriate all illegal immigrants, including Afghans.

The federal government was approached to expedite their repatriation, but on the UNHCR’s request the Centre had delayed the process for six months: until the end of the year.

Shah urged the UNHCR to take necessary measures and make arrangements to repatriate the refugees so the provincial administration could move forward in implementing the decisions taken in the apex committee’s meetings.

Ratwattee claimed that there were 1.3 million Afghan refugees in Sindh alone, whereas the rest of the country was hosting 600,000 Afghan immigrants, implying that either there was no repatriation from Sindh or the process was sluggish.

The chief executive, however, contested the claim and said that up to 2,000 Afghan refugees were being repatriated from the entire country on a daily basis.

He added that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was the only province from where so far 350,000 refugees had returned to Afghanistan, and that Punjab had also repatriated a large number of refugees; as for Sindh, the number of immigrants sent back home was 32,000.

Talking about the repatriation from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the UNHCR said they usually remain in touch with their people back in Afghanistan, adding that they were closer to their country in that province.

“As far as Sindh is concerned,” he added, “Karachi has vast employment opportunities and the refugees are far away from their country’s border.”

CM Shah said a large number of unregistered Afghan nationals were residing in Sindh, and urged the UNHCR to get them registered so the provincial government remained informed about the actual number of immigrants and their whereabouts.

“We spend on their food subsidy. They are using our utilities. And their children are receiving education in our government schools,” he said. “Being good hosts, Sindh has taken proper care of Afghan nationals, but in return our people have suffered a lot in the shape of terrorism.” He said everyone was aware of the entire situation and so he refrained from going into details.

The UNHCR said they had allocated $175 million for the health and education of the refugees, adding that out of the sanctioned amount $30 million had been earmarked for Sindh. “You can spend this amount on the health, education and other social services of the Afghan refugees living in your province.”

The chief executive directed the home secretary to coordinate with the UNHCR for registration of all the Afghanis living in the province, adding that all arrangements to repatriate the refugees must be made in coordination with the UNHCR and with their support.