Talks on Afghan refugees: Iranian deputy interior minister arrives in Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: Iranian Deputy Minister for Interior Hossein Zolfaghari arrived in Islamabad on Sunday to attend Q4 talks on Afghan refugees repatriation.

Minister for States and Frontier Regions Shaharyar Khan Afridi received the Iranian minister at Islamabad airport. Pakistan is hosting the quadrilateral meeting of Iran, Pakistan, Afghanistan and United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) on Afghan refugees’ challenges on June 17.

Earlier, Shaharyar Afridi at a press conference had said that Pakistan had been a host to millions of Afghan refugees for the last four decades and this has been an unprecedented example of generosity and brotherhood that has been shown by Pakistan despite its financial restraints and meagre resources.

During the 40 years of hospitality and sacrifices for refugees, there was not a single incident of conflict between refugees and Pakistani hosts despite differences in culture and lifestyle of people of two countries, he added. He said there are approximately three million Afghan refugees in Pakistan, including more than 1.4 million registered refugees.