Devil Soul
ELITE MEMBER
- Joined
- Jun 28, 2010
- Messages
- 22,931
- Reaction score
- 45
- Country
- Location
Refugees’ repatriation put on hold
THE NEWSPAPER'S CORRESPONDENT —
KOHAT: The repatriation of illegal Afghan refugees staying in urban areas and camps since 80s has been again postponed till Dec 31, 2015, sources said. They said that earlier the repatriation was planned to be completed before October this year.
They said that since January this year the illegal Afghans had been set three deadlines of 15 days each by former commissioner Kohat to return to their homeland. The orders were for both the holders and non-holders of proof of registration (POR), but the government has now decided to delay their ouster till Dec 2015.
The police had started arrests of illegal Afghans during specific raids after which their repatriation continued for several months through Torkham under the 14 Foreign Act. However, the sources said that the authorities had been asked to make the process voluntary and that no force should be used for their ouster.
“It is the job of the administration to arrest and send refugees back. Our department is only concerned with the refugees living in camps,” administrator of Afghan refugees Faiz Mohammad told Dawn by phone on Wednesday. He said that they had been only verbally informed about the fresh date by the commissionerate of Afghan refugees, Peshawar.
Authorities asked to make the process voluntary
Badshah Khan, a former officer of the commissionerate in Kohat division, said that there were 99,000 refugees living in Kohat and Hangu camps besides 12,000 those staying illegally who had occupied places in bazaars and posh localities.
A senior official, Nisar Hussain, said that the problem was that many refugees had also got national identity cards of Pakistan through forgery with the help of local facilitators. “However, scrutiny of papers of suspicious aliens is in progress,” he said.
District police officer, Kohat, Sohaib Ashraf says that the operation against illegal refugees in the city is still continuing because their presence is related with the law and order. “We are in a state of war and we cannot allow illegal refugees to stay further” he said.
Meanwhile, regular meetings are being held with elders of the refugees to persuade them to leave for their country by Dec 31, 2015.
Published in Dawn, September 10th, 2015
THE NEWSPAPER'S CORRESPONDENT —
KOHAT: The repatriation of illegal Afghan refugees staying in urban areas and camps since 80s has been again postponed till Dec 31, 2015, sources said. They said that earlier the repatriation was planned to be completed before October this year.
They said that since January this year the illegal Afghans had been set three deadlines of 15 days each by former commissioner Kohat to return to their homeland. The orders were for both the holders and non-holders of proof of registration (POR), but the government has now decided to delay their ouster till Dec 2015.
The police had started arrests of illegal Afghans during specific raids after which their repatriation continued for several months through Torkham under the 14 Foreign Act. However, the sources said that the authorities had been asked to make the process voluntary and that no force should be used for their ouster.
“It is the job of the administration to arrest and send refugees back. Our department is only concerned with the refugees living in camps,” administrator of Afghan refugees Faiz Mohammad told Dawn by phone on Wednesday. He said that they had been only verbally informed about the fresh date by the commissionerate of Afghan refugees, Peshawar.
Authorities asked to make the process voluntary
Badshah Khan, a former officer of the commissionerate in Kohat division, said that there were 99,000 refugees living in Kohat and Hangu camps besides 12,000 those staying illegally who had occupied places in bazaars and posh localities.
A senior official, Nisar Hussain, said that the problem was that many refugees had also got national identity cards of Pakistan through forgery with the help of local facilitators. “However, scrutiny of papers of suspicious aliens is in progress,” he said.
District police officer, Kohat, Sohaib Ashraf says that the operation against illegal refugees in the city is still continuing because their presence is related with the law and order. “We are in a state of war and we cannot allow illegal refugees to stay further” he said.
Meanwhile, regular meetings are being held with elders of the refugees to persuade them to leave for their country by Dec 31, 2015.
Published in Dawn, September 10th, 2015
