PESHAWAR, Oct 12 (APP):The Commissionerate for Afghans Refugees (CARs) Khyber Pakthunkhwa (CAR) here Tuesday said that no Afghan refugees’ influx has been witnessed so far in Khyber Pakthunkhwa where 43 camps were already operational to facilitate the registered refugees.
Following the fall of Kabul on August 15 last, officials in CAR told APP that no refugees’ influx from Afghanistan has been witnessed on Torkhum border so far and only Afghans with legal travelling documents were being allowed to cross the border where effective security arrangements were put in placed by the Pakistani Government.
The official said 43 Afghan refugee camps were currently being managed by CAR in KP including Shamshatoo and Khazana in Peshawar, Panian in Haripur, Barakai in Swabi, Gamkol in Kohat, Icharian Manshera and Baghicha in Mardan districts where all necessary facilities including electricity, schools, healthcare services, clean drinking water and sanitation have been made available for assistance and facilitation of Afghans refugees.
CAR was established by Government of Pakistan in 1979 to facilitate millions of afghan refugees after they had taken refugee in KP and others provinces as war broke out in Afghanistan following invasion by the USSR army.
The Federal Government had given clear mandate to CAR to ensure management, administration and coordination of all official refugee camps in Khyber Pakthunkhwa where over 200 refugee camps were setup for coordinated and timely humanitarian assistance and relief to millions of Afghans refugees.
Professor Dr. Khursheed Ahmed of International Relations Department, University of Peshawar told APP that Pakistan was hoisting approximately four million Afghan refugees for the last four decades despite meager financial assistance by the international community and can’t not afford more load.
He said following ceasing inflow of capital, foreign aid, investment and above all freezing of bank accounts, the Afghans economy was in tatters with millions of Afghans including children and mothers were facing hunger, starvation and malnutrition, eyeing towards urgent international assistance.
“The Afghan economy is heavily depended on foreign aid and assistance from donor countries that had received severe jolts following US chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan. Over 60 percent of Afghan’s economy was fed through foreign aid and its stoppage has added miseries of Afghans,” he continued.
He said it would have been better that international community provide urgent humanitarians assistance to Afghans inside their own country instead of adopting ‘watch and see’ approach by making investment on them in others neigbouring countries after becoming refugees.
The CAR official said that his organization was in liaison with United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and KP Government to effectively cope with possible refugees influx in Khyber Pakthunkhwa where services in the existing 43 refugees camps were improved.
In case of refugees’ influx, he said efforts would be made to establish a refugee camp on 10-15 kilometer areas near Torkhum border, he added.