The World is appreciative of Pakistan for hosting Afghan refugees for 40 years. UN Secretary-General António Guterres while addressing the International Conference on “40 Years of Hosting Afghan Refugees in Pakistan”, in Islamabad said that World must ‘step up’ and match Pakistan’s compassion for refugees.
He termed Pakistan’s compassion for hosting Afghan refugees as a remarkable contribution that the rest of the world should follow.
It has been in 1979 when Soviet Union invaded the neighbouring country and since then Pakistan has regularly been the World’s top refugee-hosting country. Despite Pakistan’s own challenges, it has hosted Afghan refugees with the limited support from International community.
Hosting such a large number of refugees with limited resources was not an easy task, however, being a responsible state, Pakistan came up to the expectations of the World community. One can imagine how unstable the region might have been without Pakistan’s assistance towards Afghan refugees.
Pakistan has exercised this responsibility on behalf of the International community, though it received nothing to little in return from the World community. The efforts International bodies and the countries should have made are missing.
The International community should have helped Pakistan not only in hosting such a large number of refugees for such a long period but also to resolve the Afghan conflict at the earliest. It is lamenting that first the Soviet Union and then the USA left the Afghan issue for Pakistan to resolve or put up with the situation.
The Afghan conflict has badly impacted Pakistan, especially when it comes to economy, law and order and crime. Pakistan has had to pay a big price for the Afghan war. For the last 40 years, Pakistan has paid in all shapes for the unending crisis and it’s high time that the International community must step up their efforts for Afghan peace and subsequently resolve the issue of the refugees.
They must stress that the Afghan refugees should return respectfully to their own country. As they move towards their country, it is more important that the principles are respected in this regard.
The proposed action plan must include supporting Afghan peace process, renewed pledges and commitments for meeting the refugees’ requirements, forging new partnerships and reinforcing older ones for fulfilling the responsibility towards refugees, extending and enhancing resettlement opportunities, provision of resources to the host country, enhancing assistance for improving living conditions in Afghanistan and creating an international fund for helping return the refugees.
Similarly, the World must ensure creation of economic opportunities in the host country. The biggest effort needs to be made and International community should sit together and devise a road map for a safe return of the Afghan refugees.
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