December 17, 2019: CODE PAKISTAN held a consultation with parliamentarians on the important subject of Afghan refugees in Pakistan. The main purpose of the consultation was to solicit the views of the parliamentarians on a recently published report of CODE PAKISTAN.
CODE PAKISTAN’s recently published report titled Afghan Refugees in Pakistan: The Road Ahead provides in-depth empirical analysis of the prevalent misperceptions about Afghan refugees in Pakistan, especially related to their being viewed as a security threat or an economic burden for Pakistan. The report also highlights the various legal lacunae in connection with Afghan refugees in Pakistan.
Founder CODE PAKISTAN Mr. Dilawar Khan gave a presentation to the parliamentarians on the findings of the report as well as the Global Refugees Forum in Geneva, which was being co-hosted by Pakistan coinciding with the date of the consultation. During his presentation, Mr. Khan highlighted the importance of tackling the issue of Afghan refugees in a way that would be beneficial for Pakistan as well as for Pak-Afghan relations. The parliamentarians participating in the consultation highly appreciated the report published by CODE PAKISTAN and called for rationalizing the discourse on Afghan refugees in Pakistan. The participants of the consultation emphasized the need for greater interaction with them on the part of the concerned stakeholders to allay their concerns regarding any legislation related to refugee issues. The need for greater healthcare and educational opportunities for Afghan refugees in Pakistan was also emphasized during the consultation.
The participants of the discussion included the Leader of the House in Senate Senator Shibli Faraz, Senator Anwarul Haq Kakar, Chairman of Council of Islamic Ideology Dr. Qibla Ayaz, Member of National Assembly (MNA) from Kurram Mr. Munir Orakzai, MNA from Kurram Mr. Sajid Hussain Turi, MNA from Bajaur Mr. Gul Zafar Khan, MNA from Bajaur Mr. Gul Dad Khan, MNA from Lower Dir Mr. Muhammad Bashir Khan, MNA from Lower Dir Mr. Mehboob Shah, MNA from FRs Mufti Abdul Shakoor, former Secretary States and Frontier Regions (SAFRON) Mr. Habibullah Khan Khattak, and former National Coordinator NACTA Mr. Ihsan Ghani Khan.