UNHCR impressive debate

UNHCR impressive debate

Dr. Jassim Taqui

On the occasion of the visit of United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees(UNHCR) Mr. Filippo Grandi, the UNHCR arranged an impressive “ New Approaches to protracted refugee situations and equitable responsibility sharing” at PNCA.

The Federal Minister for States and Frontier Regions (SAFRON) Lt. Gen.(r) Abdul Qadir Baloch made the keynote speech, which set the tone for a selected panel to debate.

The panel included Mr. Filippo Grandi , High Commissioner For Refugees,  Muhammad Shahzad Arbab, Civil Servant, Government of KPK, Government of Pakistan, Mr. Afrasiab Khattak , former Senator and founder of Afghanistan- Pakistan People’s Friendship Association, Dr. Maria Sultan,  Director General , South Asian Strategic  Stability Institute (SASSI), Marc- Andre Franche, Counter Director, UNDP Pakistan, and  Dr. Inamul Haq, World Bank.

Ms. Mahreen Khan, former presenter of “ Question Time Pakistan” of BBC acted as moderator. She brilliantly moderated the two-hour long debate and tactfully contained some opposing views by members of the panel and undiplomatic language by Gen. Baloch in his concluding remarks.

Gen. Qadir was aggressive in his keynote speech. He declared that  the tolerance of the Afghan refugees in Pakistan reached the threshold and could no longer be continued. He demanded the repatriation of the Afghan refugees to Afghanistan at the earliest, demanding UN and international support in the repatriation and the reintegration of the refugees.

He maintained that the refugees problem was an international responsibility, pointing out that statistics showed 30 percent of refugees in Europe were Afghan.

Grandi appreciated  Pakistan’s  37 years hospitability of Afghan refugees “ during difficult years and extra-ordinary conditions.” He pointed out that the solution lies in Afghanistan and warned against forcing refugees to leave Pakistan since it would create instability in the region.

Shahzad dismissed the local integration of refugees, urging more  international support and investment in stability.

Khattack started his presentation by condemning the statement of Prime Minister  National Security Adviser Mr. Sartaj Aziz, who stated that Afghan refugees camps were the safe haven of terrorists. He stated that Afghan refugees peacefully co-existed with Pakistanis and no single incident was recorded.

According to Dr. Maria Sultan, the Afghan refugees was a cold-war issue and needed political settlement. She suggested a UNSC involvement in peace building to find a permanent resolution of the issue.

Franche admitted that the refugee problem put tremendous strain on Pak resources. However, he stated that the areas where the refugees lived were the poorest in Pakistan.

Dr. Inamul Haq sounded more optimistic. He called for prioritization welfare of displaced and suggested new financing mechanism for Pakistan. He also supported convening financing summit for this purpose.

The debate was followed by lively Questions-Answers session between the panelists and  the audience. Some Afghan refugees participated with diverse opinions, emotional speeches and a criticism of the government policy towards Afghan refugees. However, the emotions and dissent were smartly handled by the moderator Ms. Mahreen Khan.

The function ended with a majority vote by the audience calling for a new approach to the protracted refugee situation.