The Pakistani government has announced closing five Afghan refugee camps in Khyber Pakhunkhwa province after four decades, a media report said on Saturday.
The Ministry of Kashmir Affairs, Gilgit-Baltistan and States and Frontier Regions (SAFRON) issued an official notification on Friday confirming the decision, the Express News reported.
According to the government’s notification, three of the closed camps were located in Haripur, one in Chitral and one in Upper Dir. Orders have been issued to transfer the land to the provincial government and the respective deputy commissioners.
Sources revealed that the Panyan camp in Haripur, one of the largest and oldest Afghan settlements in Pakistan, had been home to over 100,000 refugees for nearly 40 years.
Meanwhile, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur has publicly opposed the move, warning against the forced repatriation of Afghan refugees.
He stressed that any such measures should consider humanitarian concerns and the historical ties between the people of KP and Afghan citizens.
kk/ma
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