Afghan refugees seek one-year extension in stay

PESHAWAR: Elders and representatives of Afghan refugees in Khyber Pakhtun-khwa have appealed to the government of Pakistan to extend their stay at least by one year.

Afghan elders and representatives Qari Mehmood Shah, Mohammad Saeed Hashmi, Mohammad Azeem and Haji Sherzada told a news conference that one-month stay for the Afghan refugees in Pakistan was not sufficient as there was no peace and stability in their home country Afghanistan.

They said the majority of the Afghan refugees had settled in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, mostly in refugee villages and major towns.

“We are thankful to the local people for hosting us for more than three decades where we had established good relations and business,” Haji Sherzada said and added that the Afghan refugees wanted their stay in Peshawar till the return of complete peace to Afghanistan.

Mohammad Saeed Hashmi said the Afghan government should make proper arrangements for settlement of Afghan refugees in Afghanistan where they could continue business and education.

“Hundreds of Afghans are studying in Peshawar and other major towns of Pakistan and their education would be affected if they were forced to leave the country,” he added.

The Afghan refugees’ representatives also appealed to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to expedite its volunteer repatriation process and also increase the cash amount for the returnees.