PESHAWAR - Expressing concern over the harassment of registered Afghan refugees in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa during the ongoing search operations, elders of registered Afghan refugees have urged the Pakistani government and UNHCR officials to outline a strategy for voluntarily repatriation of the Afghan refugees to their country.
While addressing a news conference at the Press Club here on Monday, Afghan Refugees Muttahida Shura President, Baryale Miankhel, said that law enforcement agencies carried out the operation against registered and non-registered Afghan refugees following the Peshawar carnage. He said that Afghan refugees too shocked over the brutal killing of innocent children in the terror attack on Army Public School.
Flanked by members of their self-claimed Shura of Afghan refugees, including Mahmooda Gul, Bahadur Khan, Muhammad Noor Ahmadzai, Haji Ahmad Jan, he said that expelling us from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa without making proper arrangements would be unfair. Miankhel said that the registered Afghan refugees mostly residing out of refugees camps had taken shelter in rented houses in different parts of the province. But now the government has launched an operation against them in the wake of recent terrorist attack in Peshawar.
The Shura president said that owners of the rented houses had asked them to vacate their houses, wherein they spent huge expenses for renovation and maintenance. “We are ready to go back to our own country,” he said adding, but the governments of Afghanistan and Pakistan and authorities of UNHCR should take prior steps in this regard.
Abdul Hamid Khalili, incharge of Afghan Refugees Council, claimed that the law enforcing agencies are also harassing those Afghan refugees availing Proof of Registration (POR) cards issued by UNHCR to them. He called for abiding tri-partite agreement signed by Islamabad, Kabul and UNCHR regarding the stay of Afghan refugees, having POR, in Pakistan.
Dacoits in army
unifom loot gold, cash
Dressed in army uniform, unknown armed persons entered a house on the pretext of search operation and looted 19-tola gold and one lakh rupees cash along with other valuables in Gulberg area of Peshawar on Monday.
Registering FIR in Gulbarg police, owner of the house, Khalid Khan, said that he had gone for offering Fajr prayer and when returned he saw some armed persons dressed in army uniform were harassing his family members in a room. When he asked for their identity, they responded that they are personnel of security forces and launching a search operation in the area.
He said that after this they started looting everything which included 19 tolas gold, one lakh cash amount, two mobiles, two pistols and other valuables. The dacoits after looting everything made their escape successfully.
It is pertinent to mention here hat after the Army Public attack, security forces frequently launch search operation while this is second time that the dacoits taking advantage of the search operation looted citizens.
Postings, transfers in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
The Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has ordered posting/transfers of the following officers in the public interest with immediate effect.
According to details, Mazhar Sajjad, BS-19 Additional Secretary LG&RD Department, has been posted and transferred as Additional Secretary, Transport Department, Barkatullah, BS-18, OSD E&AD, has been posted as Additional Secretary, LG&RD Department, and Syed Muhammad Farukh Saqlain BS-18, OSD E&AD, has been posted as Additional Secretary (HRD Wing) Establishment Department. It was notified by Establishment Department Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Monday.
Meanwhile, the provincial government ordered posting/transfers of the following officers in the public interest with immediate effect. According to the notification, Muhammad Yousaf, BS-20, Principal Govt. Degree College Hangu, has been transferred and posted as Prof. Govt. Degree College KDA Kohat, Mir Ghulam Khan, BS-20, has been transferred and posted as Prof. Govt. Degree College Hangu and Roshmali Khan Prof. Govt. Degree College Hangu has been transferred and posted as Principal Govt. Degree College Hangu.