MRR queries KP decision on refugees

KABUL (Pajhwok): The decision to expel all Afghan refugees from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa after a month is against previous commitments and efforts were on to resolve the issue through diplomatic channels, officials said on Sunday.

The Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation (MRR) said 1.6 million Afghans lived legally and one million without proper documents in neighbouring Pakistan. One million refugees live in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP).

After Taliban’s bloody assault on the Army Public School in Peshawar, the KP government on Friday decided to expel the Afghan refugees after a month.

Islamuddin Jurat, MRR spokesman, told Pajhwok Afghan News the decision was made at the provincial level and was not practical. He added a final decision would be taken by the central government.

“I don’t think the central government in Pakistan would act upon the provincial decision,” he said, insisting expulsions of the refugees would be against the previous agreements between the two governments.

“In our bilateral and trilateral meetings with the Pakistani officials we had agreed that Afghan refugees would stay in the country till the end of 2015.”

He added MRR officials would soon launch negotiations with the Pakistani officials and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees should also work in this regard.

hg/mud

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