WASHINGTON – Pakistan, home of more than three million Afghan refugees, is not in a position to let in more refugees from Afghanistan as violence in the war-raged country is deteriorating, National Security Adviser Dr. Moeed Yusuf said Sunday.
Addressing a presser in the US capital, Moeed Yusuf said that safe zones should be established within the war-battered country for the refugees. Pakistan and the United States need to work together more than ever to address the security concern in Afghanistan.
He also reiterated that Afghan soil is being used against Pakistan and it needs to stop for regional peace. “Unfortunately, Afghan soil has been used for activities against Pakistan in the past,” he mentioned, adding that the territory is still being used for subversive activities in Pakistan.
https://en.dailypakistan.com.pk/11-Jul-2021/pakistan-says-can-t-afford-more-afghan-refugees
Last month, Minister for Foreign Affairs Shah Mahmood Qureshi said that Pakistan had played host to more than three million Afghan refugees over the years and did not have the capacity to bear the burden of additional refugees.
“If the situation arises where more people need refuge, we will develop a plan first.” He also expressed concern at the miscreants trying to enter Pakistan under the guise of refugees. “Our first attempt to deal with the situation will be to try and have Afghan refugees stay in Afghanistan,” he said.
National Security Adviser (NSA) Moeed Yusuf is in the US as part of high-level engagements agreed between him and his American counterpart, Jake Sullivan, during their first meeting in Geneva in May.
During the visit, Yusuf will meet top officials to review the progress on bilateral engagement between the two countries.
