Health, other facilities: FATA most neglected region of country, Senate body told

The militancy-hit Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) is country's most neglected region with regard to health and other facilities where only one hospital bed is available for 2,574 people and one doctor for 6,603 persons, according to officials, who briefed a parliamentary committee on Thursday.
Officials of the Ministry of States and Frontier Regions (SAFRON) revealed this while briefing Senate's Functional Committee on Less Developed Areas, which compelled chairman of the committee Senator Usman Khan Kakar to say: "the patriotic tribal people are, in fact, living in an area, called Hell on the earth".
Special Secretary Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Mohammad Siraj while updating the committee on situation of Afghan refugees said that following the interest shown by Afghan President Ashraf Ghani in return of the refugees, there was possibility to give another two-year extension in last date of return of the refugees properly. "The Afghan President, who has shown interest in return of the Afghan refugees, is desiring extension in the last date so that they could be resettled at their homes properly," he said, adding that December 31, 2015 had been fixed as the last date for their return.
At present, he said that the total number of Afghan refugees in Pakistan was three million out of which 1.5 million were registered and the same number are unregistered. According to him, 70 percent of refugees were below 24 years of age and 74 percent are those born in Pakistan.
He further said that more than 3.9 million Afghan refugees have already departed to their homes in Afghanistan in last 15 years while in the last two years, 57,000 Afghan refugees returned back to their country. With regard to return of the Afghan refugees, he said that there was difference of opinion among various institution of the country but as per the international law once declared as refugee, he/she cannot be send back to his/her country without their consent. Committee member Senator Mir Kabeer said that under Islamic teaching there was hospitality only for three days while Afghans had been living in Pakistan for the last 30 years.