NOWSHERA: Afghan refugees have rejected the notion that they have reached an agreement with the local administration regarding vacating the refugees’ camp at Azakhel and termed it a rumour being spread by influential land grabbers in the area.

The land mafia wants to grab the land of Afghan refugees at Azakhel and is creating problems for the inmates despite the fact that the government has given us permission to stay here till 2015, said the refugees, while talking to mediapersons at Pabbi on Friday. They included Haji Mohammad Wali, Haji Mohammad Ulmbat Khan, Khyal Gul, Shams, Ismail and Haji Lahor.

They alleged that influential land grabbers were creating problems, including cutting power supply to the camp, beating their children, razing walls through tractor and resorting to firing in the air. They said that they had been residing in Azakhel refugees’ camp for the last 30 years. The elders said that they had rebuilt the camp after the devastating floods had badly damaged it in 2010.

The Afghan refugees said that their opponent group was trying to force them to shift to other refugee camps.

They appealed to Chief Minister Pervez Khattak to take action against the land grabbers and allow them to live in the camp till 2015.

Meanwhile, unknown robbers looted a post office on the night between Thursday and Friday.

Officials said that unidentified burglars took away Rs0.7 million from the Pabbi post office. The police registered FIR against unknown robbers on the complaint of the post master.

Published in Dawn, June 7th, 2014