Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Sardar Mahtab Ahmad Khan has asked Afghan administration to focus their resources and energies on long-awaiting repatriation of Afghan refugees instead of tempting tribesmen from North Waziristan Agency (NWA) to take refuge in their country, as it would relieve economic and infrastructural burden on Pakistan.
He made this statement during an informal conversation with a group of journalists here at Governor's House. In response to a query regarding financial incentives and establishment of refugee camps offered by Afghan government for NWA asylum-seekers to Afghanistan, Sardar Mehtab Ahmad Khan said Afghanistan instead of offering financial and other incentives to migrants from NWA should concentrate on repatriation of Afghan refugees living in different countries of the world for the last many decades.
"We feel happy that Afghanistan has achieved the capability and financial resources to offer incentives to attract people from other countries to take refuge on its soil but we believe that instead of utilising these resources and capabilities on meddling in others affairs, it should be consumed on repatriation and rehabilitation of those suffering Afghans who are currently facing with enormous problems in other countries," he said.
He added "the repatriation of Afghan refugees should be initiated from Pakistan that is still hosting more than two million Afghan refugees, which is taking its toll on our economy, infrastructure and on other fronts."
Sardar Mehtab said as far as internally displaced persons of NWA were concerned with the grace of Allah Almighty the resilient people of Pakistan despite facing with many challenges including limited resources were capable of coping with any crises and emergency situation. The nation was standing side by side with Pak Army and those displaced due to military operation "Zerb-e-Azb" in NWA, he added. Following clear directives from Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, federal and provincial governments and Pak Army were taking every measure to cater to the huge exodus of IDPs from North, Mehtab told media men.
The governor specially referred to the support extended by Chief Minister Punjab Shahbaz Sharif and Punjab government in that regard, saying the brave people of the country and Jawans would live up to their history and would emerge victorious from these hard and testing times.
In reply to the question about civilian damages during operation 'Zerb-e-Azb', he categorically rejected the impression saying local population was given adequate time to migrate to safer places before the operation was started. He said operation 'Zerb-e-Azb' was progressing successfully towards achieving its objectives and efforts were on to complete the military operation at the earliest possible so that the local displaced population could return to their native area.
Governor KP said establishing last peace in tribal areas was the prime focus of the government that would pave way for safe return of IDPs, start of real progress and development and formation of an effective administrative structure in tribal belt of the country. Regarding reforms and future scenario in Fata, he said that fragmented efforts were made in the past to introduce reforms in Fata but they ended in fiasco due to lack of proper homework.
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