KP govt to expel Afghans after a month

KABUL (Pajhwok): Haunted by security concerns, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has decided to expel all Afghan refugees after a month, a report said on Saturday.

The decision came at provincial cabinet meeting, chaired by Chief Minister Pervez Khattak. The participants reviewed the overall security situation in the province.

According to the Express Tribune, the meeting was informed the December 16 Taliban-based militants.

About 150 people, more than 130 schoolchildren, were killed on Tuesday when the militants laid siege to the school for more than seven hours. The assault has forced a rethink on security policy.

Minister of Information Mushtaq Ahmad Ghani told a media briefing after the meeting: “If presidential elections can be held in Afghanistan, its citizens can also go back home.”

Initially, the minister said, a policy would be framed on expelling Afghan refugees from settled areas after a month. The cabinet asked the federal government to review the country’s foreign policy.

The origin of the attack had been traced back to Afghanistan and the federal government should take up the issue with Kabul, he added. “If talks fail, the government should take concrete steps against militants hiding across the border.”

PAN Monitor/mud

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