The Pakistan Afghanistan Joint Committee (PAJC) members from Pakistan met with the Minister of Refugees and Repatriation, Sayed Hussain Alemi Balkhi on February 19, 2017 at his office in Kabul, on the sidelines of fourth PAJC workshop.
Sayed Hussain Alemi Balkhi thanked the Beyond Boundaries delegation for working for the betterment of the two peoples. He appreciated their hard work and efforts for solving the issues between the two countries. He said that with the continuity of initiatives like Beyond Boundaries, the two countries were going to have a very bright future. He said that he was willing to extend all the possible cooperation and support for the improvement and strengthening of bilateral relations and ties respectively.
“During my visit to Pakistan, I could see the results of Beyond Boundaries’ work and advocacy which had greatly impacted the bilateral relations”, he said. In response to Mr. Imtiaz Gul’s query about his visit to Pakistan, and the modalities for new visa regime for Afghans, Minister Balkhi said it was discussed that there would be no force repatriation. The Federal Minister for States and Frontier Regions (SAFRON), Lt. Gen. (Retd) Abdul Qadir Baloch supported that the financial assistance should also be given to undocumented refugees. It was good to notice that the environment in Pakistan was totally changed comparing to my last visit. The SAFRON minister also mentioned that positive developments are because of the meetings and discussions between political parties, civil society representatives and other stakeholders. I must say that Beyond Boundaries has a great role in this too. We also discussed the registration of undocumented refugees and afghan government will also help in the identification process. Among many other points of our discussion in Pakistan, one was bringing changes to the visa regime; especially for the businessmen and patients.
I am really sad about the terrorist attacks that took place in Lahore and Quetta during my stay. But the political situation had not impacted my visit and the agenda of refugees because of its humanitarian aspect. I am thankful to Gen. Qadir Baloch and Beyond Boundaries for supporting the agenda. The announcement of 3000 scholarships for Afghans is a good gesture.
Dr. Shoaib Suddle said that the Beyond Boundaries members had been meeting with Gen. Qadir Baloch for refugees’ issue. We condemn the terrorist attacks in both countries. We have been raising the issue of visa with Sartaj Aziz and other stakeholders in Pakistan and are glad to the positive outcomes in this regard. Whatever the challenges are, we can make the progress if we do not give up and continue our efforts. The PAJC delegates can also request the SAFRON minister for his support for the other critical issues between Pakistan and Afghanistan. The cross border movement and the security issues are once tackled, then we will be in a good position to get over the other issues as well. We have also taken up the issue of electricity for Afghan refugees on commercial rates with SAFRON Minister. Both countries are the victims of terrorism. This menace cannot be controlled alone in isolation and requires joint intelligence sharing.
“I have shared the positive outcome of my visit to Pakistan with the media on both sides including TV, radio, press”, Balkhi said while replying Imtiaz Gul’s question. Many refuges in Pakistan don’t want to leave Pakistan and their relatives here want to visit them. While there are many positive developments, there are some issues that still need to be addressed. The frequent travelers of divided families may be facilitated as well. The Afghan refugees living in one province face problems visiting the other provinces. The facility of sim cards may also be given to registered refugees.
Qazi Humayun, former Pakistani ambassador said that the bitter statements at the head of the state levels escalate tensions and also impact Afghan refugees in Pakistan. We as civil society urge both governments for exercising restraint from inflammatory statements.