Pakistani authorities ask Afghan refugees to return voluntarily or face force

Islamabad, Oct 22 (IANS) Afghans in the refugee camps of Lower Dir District in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan have been informed by the local authorities that all the facilities given to them previously would no longer be available and they would be shifted to the Torkham border.

According to local media reports, the Assistant Commissioner of Timergara, Zaid Safi, along with District Administrator (DA) Humayun Khan, met leaders of Afghan refugees on Wednesday and informed them that all the refugee camps in Pakistan's Lower Dir had been de-notified and all the facilities given to them previously would no longer be available.

Safi said on Tuesday that the administration would arrange a transport for Afghan refugees to travel to Torkham border. He also warned that the government would use force if the refugees refused to return voluntarily, Pakistan's leading daily Dawn reported. Safi hoped that they won't reach that stage and told Afghan refugees having outstanding loans to share details about it in his office.

After the directive issued by the federal government, the three camps in Chakdara, Samarbagh and Timar have been formally shut and the district administration has accelerated measures for the return of refugees. Speaking to reporters at Timergara, Lower Dir Afghan refugees’ district administrator, Humayun Khan said that more than 40,000 Afghan refugees, including 4,500 families live in the camps and rented houses in Lower Dir.

So far, 565 people from 100 families have returned to Afghanistan voluntarily while the local administration has requested provincial government to provide funds for making transport arrangements for refugees travel to Torkham. According to official statistics, 33,681 refugees in Lower Dir have proof of registration cards while another 6,100 possess Afghan citizen cards. More than 3000 Afghan refugees live in Upper Dir.

Last week, police said that Pakistani authorities, along with police, demolished more than 1,000 houses vacated by Afghans in the United Nations-designated Afghan camp in Karachi's Sohrab Goth over the past five days.

Speaking to Dawn, SSP-West Tariq Illahi Mastoi said that around 1,200 houses out of more than 3,000 houses had been demolished since the operation's commencement on October 15. He said that more than 14,000 Afghans had already vacated the UN-designated camp.

Mastoi said the operation continued on October 19 and is expected to be completed within a few days, Dawn reported. According to him, law enforcement officials had faced resistance from the alleged land mafia on the first day. However, later on, the action was conducted smoothly with no hindrance from any quarter.

SSP Mastoi said the operation was being conducted according to the federal government's policy, as certain elements were attempting to occupy land illegally, which caused fears of the breach of the peace.

Previously, around 15,680 Afghans were living in the camp, according to officials. Among them, 14,296 returned to Afghanistan, while the remaining 1,384 are still living there and are being repatriated to their home country in phases.

--IANS

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