UN urges attention to Afghan refugees' plight
The head of the UN refugee agency has urged the world not to "forget" about the sufferings of over a million Afghan refugees living in Pakistan.
"My appeal is for the international community to understand that this is not only the responsibility for Pakistan or Iran or other neighboring countries, it is a collective responsibility," UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Antonio Guterres said during a visit to Afghan refugee camps in Pakistan on Tuesday.
He said ongoing upheavals in the Middle East region have diverted the world’s attention away from the plight of Afghan refugees.
"The attention of the international community has been focused dramatically on the Middle East crisis in Syria, in Iraq, in Yemen," he added.
Guterres also called on world nations to help build the Afghan economy so that Afghan refugees would return home. Many Afghan refugees who have returned are unable to find job and housing due to the ongoing turmoil in their country.
Afghan refugees have come under increasing pressure in Pakistan in recent months.
According to the International Organization for Migration, the number of Afghans crossing the border back to their homeland in the first quarter of this year due to "pressure" from Pakistani officials was nine times higher than in the same period last year.
Pakistan has about 1.5 million Afghan refugees, most of them living in poor conditions in camps across the restive militancy-riddled northwestern region.
The US and its Western NATO allies invaded Afghanistan in 2001 as part of Washington’s so-called war on terror. The US-led war removed Taliban militants from power, but insecurity and violence still remains in several regions. The militancy and violence has also spilled over into Pakistan.
JR/KA/HMV
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