Govt has no plans to extend stay of Afghan refugees in Pakistan: Yousafzai

PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Information Minister Shaukat Ali Yousafzai on Saturday said that the government has no plans under consideration to extend the stay of Afghan refugees in Pakistan, ARY News reported.

The KP information minister suggested the federal government for not making another extension for the Afghan refugees to stay in Pakistan. He urged the centre to finalise arrangements for the repatriation of Afghan refugees.

Yousafzai in his statement asked the Afghan nationals to return to their country. He said, “Pakistan has hosted millions of Afghan refugees and treated them like our brothers. We hope that they will return [to their country] with respect.”

He said that the time has come for Afghan refugees’ return to their country and the government hopes for the Afghan nationals to take good memories with them.

Yousafzai, however, clarified that the federal government has not yet finalised any decision nor it has contacted the provincial government in this regards.

He said that KP Chief Minister Mahmood Khan will make a final decision with consensus if consulted for repatriation of Afghan refugees.

Earlier on April 29, Minister of State for States and Frontier Regions (SAFRON) Shehryar Khan Afridi had urged the global community to play its due role in the process of repatriation of Afghan refugees to their homeland.

He said, “It is an irony that Pakistan has been hosting around four million Afghan refugees for the past four decades but the world is not ready to share its burden.”

The minister said despite the recent financial crisis, Pakistan is putting up efforts to facilitate Afghan refugees.

In this regard, the government is working on ‘Refugee Policy’ which would be unveiled soon, he shared.

Afridi vowed during his speech that he would work with all organizations to help repatriate the Afghan refugees.