QUETTA: Minister for States and Frontier Regions retired Lt Gen Abdul Qadir Baloch said on Sunday that the government could not forcibly send Afghan refugees back to their country because they were living in Pakistan under an international agreement and convention.

But, the minister said, the refugees could return to their country voluntary.

He was briefing media personnel on the Refugees Affected Host Areas (RAHA) programme launched in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. German Ambassador to Pakistan Ina Lepel, UNHCR country chief Indrika Ratwatte and representatives of the countries and agencies which are funding the RAHA programme attended the briefing.

Mr Baloch said the proof of registration (POR) cards of Afghan refugees was expiring on Dec 31 and most members of the federal cabinet were in favour of sending them back to their country. “But we cannot send them back forcibly because of international obligations as Pakistan is a signatory to the convention concerned,” he added.

He said the situation in Afghanistan was also not conducive and the country lacked necessary facilities to rehabilitate them. “The date for Afghan refugees’ stay in Pakistan may be extended in view of this situation.”

Minister says 281,000 registered Afghans are living in Balochistan

The minister said that under a voluntary repatriation programme, the UNHCR and the government were extending help and facilities to those refugees who were willingly returning to their country.

He denied reports that the registered Afghan refugees were involved in terrorist activities or had links with terrorist organisations. “No evidence about their involvement in such activities has been found so far.”

But he agreed with a questioner that some refugees might be involved in street crimes and other illegal activities. If any Afghan refugee was found involved in terrorist and other criminal activities he would be prosecuted and deported, he warned.

He said 281,000 registered Afghan refugees were living in Balochistan. But he admitted that a large number of unregistered refugees were also in the province and their combined population in the province could be around one million.

Mr Baloch said Afghanistan and Pakistan had suffered a lot in terms of human and financial losses in the aftermath of Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. Pakistan has suffered over $100 billion losses and spent a huge amount of funds on looking after the Afghan refugees for 35 years. Over five million Afghans had crossed into Pakistan after the Soviet invasion, he added.

The minister said that under the RAHA programme, $600 million was being spending on rehabilitation of the areas which were severely affected by the presence of refugees in KP and Balochistan. But this amount was not sufficient to compensate the host communities, he added.

He said the German ambassador and representatives of the donor countries and agencies had visited different areas of Balochistan where rehabilitation projects were under way.

The UNHCR country chief said that under the RAHA programme, an amount of $175m had been spent on different projects in KP and Balochistan.

The programme was approved in 2008 and launched in 2009.

“In five years, 90 per cent of the fund was spent on Pakistanis and 10pc on Afghan refugees. In Balochistan, $50m has so far been spent on various rehabilitation projects,” he said.

The Garman ambassador expressed satisfaction over the projects launched in Balochistan under the programme and said her country would continue to finance it.

Gen Baloch said transparency would be ensured in spending the RAHA fund. “Every penny of the fund would be spent honestly.”

The representatives of donor countries and agencies who attended the press briefing included Maria Concepcion (Spain), Junko Kawata (Japan), Tracy Vienings (South Africa), Marcn Obermuller (Germany), Johann Pierre (United Nations) and Rousselle Oliver (France).

Published in Dawn, December 7th, 2015