Staff Reporter
Federal Minister for SAFRON & Narcotics Control Shehryar Khan Afridi has said that due to surge in violence in Afghanistan, new influx of refugees is feared to lead towards Pakistan.
These concerns were expressed by the Minister SAFRON during a meeting with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Filippo Grandi at Geneva. Irrespective of the fast developments taking place in Afghanistan, he said Pakistan would stand by its commitment for protection of Afghan refugees. Briefing the UN High Commissioner on the measures taken by the Government of Pakistan for the well-being and welfare of the Afghan refugees, the Minister asked Filippo Grandi to work on the challenges being faced by Pakistan in hosting the Afghan refugees, said a message received here.
Afridi said that there was a need for the UNHCR teams to reach out to the Afghan refugees staying in refugee camps and provide basic health, education and other amenities.
Sharing his concerns with the UN High Commissioner on Refugees, the Minister said that the decrease in UNHCR allocation for Afghan refugees was a source of alarm as refugees already needed more assistance in camps.
Briefing the High Commissioner on the humanist approach of Prime Minister Imran Khan, Shehryar Afridi said that the premier had agreed to co-convene the Global Refugee Forum (GRF) set for December 2019.
