SWITZERLAND and the UN Refugee Agency really deserve
appreciation for hosting the first Global Refugee Forum as it provided a platform to effectively highlight the plight and agonies of the refugee population and the problems faced by the host countries for accommodating them. In fact the forum was also significant in the sense that it emphasized upon the richer countries to shoulder greater responsibility to cope with the refugee crisis.
According to the UN data, more than seventy million people are forcibly displaced – double the level twenty years ago and 2.3 million more than just one year ago. Over 25 million of them are refugees, having fled across international borders, unable to return to their homes. The fact of the matter is that 84% of the refugee population is being hosted by low income countries and Pakistan is a classic example which despite difficult economic situation has generously been hosting three to four million refugees over the last four decades without much help from the developed countries which never get tired of giving lectures to the poor countries on human rights and equality but when it comes to accommodating the refugee population, they are the first to show the back. In the Syrian refugee crisis, except Germany, other European countries shut their doors to accept the ill-fated refugees. This really exposed their true face. As the UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi has called for rebooting approach to the refugees, it is time to go beyond mere lip service and making it incumbent upon the developed countries to come forward and that too in a big manner to address the problems of refugees as well as the host countries. For instance in the case of Afghan refugees, they should create the pull factor in Afghanistan to ensure their dignified and honourable return to their homeland. Assistance should also be provided to Pakistan for the rehabilitation of its displaced tribal people who had to leave their homes to pave the way for military operation in the tribal areas. In order to avoid any further increase in the refugee population, important capitals must also give serious ears to PM Imran Khan’s words at the Global Refugee Forum and must step in to stop India from its discriminatory acts against minorities especially Muslims. Otherwise as pointed out by the PM, the consequences will be far more serious and horrific than those witnessed during the displacement of Afghans, Syrians and Rohingya Muslims.
