Afghanistan Times
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Refugees, the first victims of the wars and terrorism, will never leave home unless their home is the mouth of a shark. They escape only and opt for the life of refuge when they see themselves caught in the jaws of death and life.
Though, everyone knows it is not easier to start over in a new place. Even if in the host country there is no trouble but despite that loneliness hit the refugees. Keep aside the uncountable troubles of Afghan refugees in Pakistan and particularly in Iran, the loneliness of the Afghan refugees is a terrible thing. Given that there is peace at their own home, their government works properly for their rehabilitation and provides them with job opportunities they will never stay behind in Pakistan and Iran as refugees. Here, the government cannot escape the blame. This is worth appreciation that finally the UN refugee agency has called on the international community to redouble its engagement with Afghanistan to help bring an end to the world’s largest and protracted refugee situation. How this situation will be ended when our political elite at home are busy in grabbing state-owned lands, plundering natural resources, and national wealth? Given the current state of governance and differences between the president and the chief executive, stability and security remain just illusions. The refugees are not rats to scramble back home, without dignity, and a proper rehabilitation program. In host countries, they yearn for going home, but when they come here and found themselves dumped and humiliated, they run back and surrender to the cruel situation at their host countries. It clearly indicates here the situation is the cruelest.
The UN High Commissioner for Refugees, António Guterres, said that reinvigorated and continued engagement was critical to help Afghanistan in rebuilding and enabling the country to deal successfully with refugee issue at a time of dwindling resources and growing humanitarian needs globally. The government and international bodies working on refugees must know that until there is robust development, long term incentives, and friendly environment for returnees, refugees’ rehabilitation and reaccommodation programs will remain fruitless. Speaking at a joint press conference with Pakistan’s Minister of States and Frontier Regions Abdul Qadir Baloch, at the end of a three-day Ramadan solidarity mission to Pakistan, António Guterres, said the future of nearly 2.6 Afghan refugees in the region, still is uncertain whereas on top of that fresh humanitarian crisis has emerged in the Middle East and Africa that is grabbing global attention. It means, naturally, Afghan refugees will not grab world’s attention as the international community is getting engrossed how to deal with the new humanitarian challenges in the Middle East as Syria has replaced Afghanistan as the world’s largest producer of refugees. In such a situation, if their very own government at home doesn’t care about the plight of Afghan refugees, doesn’t give a dig in the rib of the international community, refugees will never be able to be at home and they will ever remain refugees. if the government officials and our political elite want to know what it means to be a refugee, at least they must sit with those born in refugee camps particularly those from slum arrangements in Islamabad for Afghan refugees. Therefore, end their troubles, bring them back home with dignity, give them job opportunities and save many of those born in the refugee camps from joining militants.
