By Ashrafuddin Pirzada
LANDIKOTAL: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi on Saturday visited the Afghan transit (holding) camp in Landikotal and reviewed arrangements put in place for the repatriation of Afghan refugees.
During the visit, the chief minister inspected different sections of the camp and was briefed by officials on facilities being provided to the returnees. He said that 22 Nadra clearance counters had been established to streamline the process and appreciated the efforts of the district administration and provincial authorities for managing the large-scale operation. He said to further make the process fast, he would talk to Nadra Hugh to increase the clearance counters to 40.
Talking to media representatives and interacting with Afghan refugees, the chief minister said that Afghans had lived in Pakistan for nearly 50 years and stressed that their return should be carried out with grace, respect, and dignity.
“They have been our guests for five decades, and we want to send them back in a dignified manner,” he said.
However, he expressed concern over the lack of support from the federal government, stating that the provincial government had received no substantial assistance to cope with the situation despite the heavy influx of returnees.
He further noted that the huge number of Afghan refugees arriving at the camp had caused overcrowding, which in some cases slowed down the clearance and repatriation process.
To improve efficiency, the chief minister directed authorities to increase Nadra counters from 22 to 40, so that the data entry process could be expedited and waiting time for refugees could be minimized.
He also instructed officials to utilize all available resources to ensure that maximum facilities were provided to Afghan returnees in an organized and humane manner. He made it clear that the provincial government would not tolerate any negligence or shortcomings in the repatriation process.
The chief minister added that the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government, in collaboration with relevant departments, including PDMA, had made comprehensive arrangements to facilitate Afghan refugees at the camp.
Among others, provincial Assembly member Muhammad Adnan Qadri, commissioner Peshwar Riaz Mahsud, assistant commissioner Landikotal Inamullah Wazir, MNA Iqbal Afridi, and other officials accompanied the chief minister during the visit.
